From October 27th to 28th, the 2018 Fifth Cross-Strait Slow Pitch Xiangtai Cup Invitational Tournament was held at Hunan Agricultural University . 24 teams from all over the world participated in the competition, 6 of which were from Taiwan and the rest from Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other places.
In 2014, the Changsha Taiwan Compatriots Investment Enterprises Association organized and organized the first Cross-Strait Changsha Slow Pitch Invitational Tournament. The event aims to enrich the sports space for Taiwanese businessmen and promote in-depth exchanges between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
It is reported that the total number of participating teams in this competition has increased by 2 compared to the previous one. Among them, the number of participating teams from Taiwan increased from 2 in the previous year to 6.
Modern baseball and softball have a history of nearly a hundred years. Baseball and softball are a very popular sport in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. As a derivative of baseball and softball, slow-pitch softball is loved by the masses because it is less difficult, quicker to learn, and can be participated by men, women, old and young.
The history of baseball and softball in Hunan can be traced back to the baseball club established by Sun Yat-sen in Changsha during the revolutionary period. After the founding of New China, General He Long met with baseball legend Liang Fuchu and gave instructions on strengthening the development of baseball and softball sports.
This competition has a campus group, a happy group and a vitality group. The campus group will form a university team after competing one week in advance. In the end, Taiwan's Chiayi University Marmots Team, Shenzhen Wild Diamond Team, and Beijing Polar Bears won first, second, and third place in the Happy Group respectively; Taiwan's Hsinchu Qingyun Gas Station Team, Kunshan Taiwanese Warthogs Team, and Dongguan The Sha Tin Sharks won first, second and third place respectively in the Vitality Group.
Taiwan New Taipei City Jinshan Slow Pitch Team member Xu Hanyang participated in the event last year. "Unfortunately, this year our team lost to the Shanghai Caixuantai visiting team in the Easter match. The skills of the mainland slow softball team have improved very quickly." Xu Hanyang said.
Xu Hanyang said, "Changsha's urban construction is developing rapidly. In the next three days, we will go everywhere to feel the development and changes of Changsha and appreciate the beautiful scenery of Xiaoxiang."
This competition is sponsored by the Hunan Provincial Sports Bureau, Hunan Agricultural University, etc. , hosted by the Changsha Municipal People's Government Taiwan Affairs Office, Changsha Taiwan Compatriots Investment Enterprises Association, etc.
editor/Hu Yuanyuan
review/Kang Heng
source/China News Network
