KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), beaming with pride, playfully suggested on Monday (Nov. 25) that the president should declare a holiday for schools and offices, following Taiwan's stunning victory in the WBSC Premier 12 championship.
Mayor Chen also announced that local players Li Kai-wei (李凱威) and Chang Cheng-yu (張政禹) would each receive an NT$700,000 bonus from the city government, emphasizing the government's role in nurturing athletic talent.
Kaohsiung's Sports Development Bureau (高雄市運動發展局) stated that the Premier12 victory qualifies for the Guoguang Medal (國光獎章) incentives. The team will receive bonuses for finishing in the top three, with each champion earning NT$7 million. The city will add an extra 10% to the Guoguang Medal bonuses.
The bureau highlighted that players like Chen Chen-wei (陳晨威), Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲), and Huang Tzu-peng (黃子鵬), who hail from or were educated in Kaohsiung, demonstrate the city's strong baseball foundation. Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) Kaohsiung City Councilor Li Ya-fen (李雅芬) invited Mayor Chen, Speaker Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成), and officials to cheer for Taiwan's team during a council session.
Councilor Li proposed awarding bonuses and offering half-price sports facility access to encourage public fitness. Several Kaohsiung hotels, including Hi-Lai Foods (漢來海港), The Grand Hotel (高雄圓山飯店), and Tai Urban Resort (承億酒店), have launched limited-time promotions to celebrate the team's success.