BASEBALL/Taipei government to investigate water leakage at Taipei Dome

Taipei, March 3 (CNA) The Taipei City government said Sunday it will investigate a water leakage issue at the Taipei Dome, which became apparent during an exhibition baseball game the previous day and drew criticism from city councilors across party lines.

The city's Department of Sports said it will hold a post-game review meeting with related government authorities and event organizers, including the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

This will improve the experience of those watching games at the stadium, which was built and is operated by Farglory Group, the department said in a press release.

The leakage was reported during the match between the CTBC Brothers and the Yomiuri Giants, the first of two exhibition games held over the weekend to celebrate the Japanese franchise's 90th anniversary.

About 10 baseball fans sitting on the fourth floor were impacted, according to Farglory Group deputy general manager Jacky Yang (楊舜欽), who said the company arranged "seat upgrades" and provided those fans complimentary souvenirs.

The incident may have occurred due to the dome being packed to full capacity with some 37,000 baseball fans, which could have put a strain on the pipelines, Yang said, adding that repairs are being carried out.

The large crowd was also the reason behind the suspension of several escalators and long queues for the restrooms, which prompted complaints, according to Yang, who pledged to ensure the situation would improve.

In the wake of the blunder, Taipei City councilors Chan Wei-yuan (詹為元) of the Kuomintang, as well as Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) and Ho Meng-hua (何孟樺) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party blasted both the city government and Farglory for their negligence.

The Taipei City government and Farglory failed to conduct a stress test despite requests from city councilors to better prepare for situations like this, Chan said, demanding prompt improvements.