Sitting at the stands of the newly-built baseball field for the
Beijing Olympic Games, Harvey Schiller, the president of the
International Baseball Federation, told Xinhua News Agency in
Beijing on Monday that he believed baseball can become a popular
sport just like table tennis in China.
It was not the first time for him to visit the Wukesong Sports
Center, however, Schiller said he was impressed by the well-built
baseball fields for the 2007 Beijing International Baseball
Tournament which run through August 18-23.
Schiller, who was elected the president of IBAF on late February
in Beijing, said: "I'm very much satisfied with the decoration of
each steps of the building."
"We're almost one year away from the Beijing Olympic Games. But
the organizers have done a wonderful job and the volunteers are
well-trained. They've done a great job."
Though China is a nation crazy for table tennis, Schiller
believed baseball can be more popular with such great baseball
fields.
"It's a very good chance for Chinese people to learn the sport
from our tournament and Olympic Games. They will absolutely love
it! Baseball is very popular in Asia, like in Japan, South Korea
and also in Chinese Taipei...There is no reason why it is not
popular here." said the IBAF president.
"The most important is to keep the stadium and bring more people
to watch the games."
(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2007)