Prague Baseball Week: Taiwan Defeats Czech Republic, Czech Coach Aims to Emulate Taiwan's System

Taipei, Taiwan, Jul 8 (CNA) - The Chinese Taipei U-18 baseball team, participating in the Prague Baseball Week tournament in the Czech Republic as part of their preparation for the Hangzhou Asian Games, defeated the Czech Republic 8-0 on July 7. Pavel Chadim, head coach of the Czech national baseball team, expressed his honor in playing against a Taiwanese team and stated his desire to emulate Taiwan's excellent baseball and school systems.

In the match between the Chinese Taipei U-18 team and the Czech Republic, the game was close for the first seven innings, with Chinese Taipei holding a narrow 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Chinese Taipei offense exploded, scoring 7 runs to widen the gap and secure an 8-0 victory.

This win secured a spot for the Chinese Taipei U-18 team in the finals, marking their return to the Prague Baseball Week championship game after a two-year absence. The team will compete for the championship against the Netherlands today, while the Czech Republic will play Germany for third place.

The Chinese Taipei U-18 team for the 2026 Asian Games baseball competition is led by head coach Tang Te-Kai. The team departed in late June to participate in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands, where they secured third place, and then traveled to the Czech Republic in early July for the Prague Baseball Week tournament.

A total of 8 teams participated in this year's Prague Baseball Week. The Chinese Taipei U-18 team was in Preliminary Group A along with the Netherlands, Germany, and host nation Czech Republic. Chinese Taipei defeated the Netherlands 10-4 on July 5 and showcased their offensive power again on July 6, defeating Germany 9-4 to achieve two consecutive wins.

Pavel Chadim, head coach of the Czech national baseball team, told CNA last week, "We beat them (Chinese Taipei U-18) 1-0 in Haarlem last week, but I see they really want to win back today."

Chadim recalled that in 2024, the Czech team participated in the "Taiwan-Czech International Baseball Exchange Game" at the Taipei Dome. They tied Taiwan 2-2 in the first game and lost the second, "but it was a great game."

Chadim said, "It is a great honor for us to play against your national team and professional players, and of course, these amateur players are also very good. Your system, your school system is so great, I want to emulate it well."

The July 7 game attracted many Taiwanese and Czech fans to the venue.

Czech citizen Honza told CNA that he came to watch the game with a Taiwanese friend he met during his exchange program. He had previously watched the Czech Baseball Extraliga and the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, but had "never seen a Taiwanese team play before, and this is the first time I'm here to support them."

Although this game was between the Czech team and the Taiwanese team, Honza emphasized, "Of course, the Czech Republic is always in my heart, but today I'm wearing Taiwanese colors, so I support Taiwan."

Chiu Tzu-han, a Taiwanese expatriate living in the Czech Republic, stated that she had bought tickets for the game between Taiwan and the Czech Republic months in advance and flew back from Poland that morning specifically to watch the match. She believes the Taiwanese team's performance is very good and they have a good chance of reaching the finals. (Edited by: Wei Shu) 1150708

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