Farglory confident Taipei Dome will host at least 35 CPBL games in 2025

Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) The Farglory Group on Saturday said that it is confident the Taipei Dome will host at least 35 games for Taiwan's professional baseball league next year.

Company spokesperson Chih-Hsien Hsia (夏至賢) said that if the calculations are made precisely and the organizers of the 2025 World Masters Games follow the event schedule, Farglory is confident the Taipei Dome will hold at least 35 games in the Chinese Professional Baseball League's (CPBL) 2025 season.

Also read: CPBL voices dismay over near halving of Taipei Dome games for 2025

Farglory, which operates and manages the venue, made the statement in response to an outcry from fans and the CPBL over the conglomerate's apparent initial statement that the number of games at the Taipei Dome would be cut from 38 this year to 20 for the upcoming season.

During a video conference with team managers on Thursday, the CPBL discussed Farglory's decision, which was attributed to scheduling conflicts that would see the venue host the league's two season openers and six three-game weekend series.

The conglomerate attributed the reduction to Taipei City government's plan to use the Taipei Dome as a venue for the 2025 World Masters Games, which will make the facility unavailable from April 23 to May 28.

Following the announcements, the CPBL and many baseball fans made their displeasure public.

A fan at the Taipei Dome on Saturday made his dismay known in the form of a poster at Taiwan's warm-up exhibition game with the Czech Republic for the World Baseball Softball Confederation's upcoming Premier12 baseball tournament.

The poster read "Taipei Dome is a baseball stadium," which the fan explained was his way of reminding unspecified people that the venue was built first and foremost to showcase baseball.

Meanwhile, at a public appearance on Saturday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) also said the dome was erected to host sports events, especially baseball.

Chiang said that he had tasked Taipei's Department of Sports to mediate between Farglory and the CPBL to ensure all parties fulfill the terms of their contracts.

CPBL president Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) also responded to the announcement on Saturday, saying that the league submitted a schedule to the dome in September.

Tsai said the league's intention is to have at least 36 regular-season games at the Taipei Dome in 2025 after considering the dome's need for other commercial performances.

Tsai went on to say that with the CPBL and the Taipei City government both agreeing the dome should prioritize baseball, the venue's owner should confirm its 2025 calendar as soon as possible.