Taiwan's Jeffrey Koo Jr. reelected to lead Asian baseball federation

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Taiwan's Jeffrey Koo Jr. (辜仲諒) was reelected president of the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) without objection at the federation's congress in Taipei on Thursday.

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) Taiwan's Jeffrey Koo Jr. (辜仲諒) was reelected president of the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) without objection at the federation's congress in Taipei on Thursday.

Representatives from 20 member associations attended the congress, the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) said in a statement. The reelection keeps Taiwan in a leadership role in the regional governing body, which organizes international competitions and helps its members develop the sport through training, exchanges and support for facilities.

Koo was first elected BFA president in 2022. The federation now has 29 member associations, the CTBA said, with Vietnam, Jordan and Syria among those that joined during his first term.

Under Koo, the BFA established a baseball development and training center in Thailand and a women's baseball training base in Hangzhou, China. It also helped member associations host Asian tournaments and advised them on building or upgrading ballparks to meet international standards.

Taiwan hosted Thailand's national team for training, while a separate exchange program enabled Thai student-athletes to study and play baseball in Taiwan, the CTBA said.

For his second term, Koo outlined plans to train more players, coaches and umpires, introduce certification for coaches and umpires in stages, and expand exchanges for student players. The federation also plans to continue holding women's competitions, with 13 members currently fielding women's teams, according to the statement.

Koo described establishing an Asian major league as a long-term goal. Building toward it would require developing talent, expanding the fan base and assessing what competition format could work, he said.

The congress also increased the number of elected executive committee seats from three to five to broaden regional representation. Delegates elected representatives from Hong Kong, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Thailand to fill those seats.

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