Taiwan get first baseball win despite doping test failure

13 August 2008

BEIJING – Taiwan’s baseball team won its first game at the Beijing Olympics Wednesday despite one player failing a doping test.

The Chinese-Taipei team beat the Netherlands 5-0 despite the absence of key hitter Chang Tai-shan, who has tested positive for a banned substance in a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) check.

Chang denied having taken any banned drugs, but said he suspects the positive result might be because, eager to father a child, he had has taken medication to improve his fertility.

The Chinese-Taipei Olympic Committee has requested that WADA check the B sample of Chang’s urine collected by WADA in July in Taipei.

If the result is also positive, Chang will be banned for three years and the Chinese-Taipei baseball squad will have to play the remaining games with only 23 players.

Coach Hung Yi-chung said Chang’s absence through failing the test had only made the rest of the squad more determined in the Taiwan- Netherlands game.

"It was a perfect game, and I hope we can do well tomorrow in the game against Japan," Taiwan radio quoted him as saying. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Taiwan won two gold, two silver and one bronze.

[dpa / Expatica]

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