TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) said Thursday (Jan.5) the city government will not bid to host the World Baseball Classic (WBC) after Major League Baseball's field and stadium consultant Murray Cook found several major issues with the ballpark.

Hsinchu Baseball Stadium's shortcomings included abnormal development of ballpark grass, poor stadium drainage, and substandard field soil, said Kao in a Facebook post, citing Murray Cook's assessment.

"For safety reasons, the city government has decided to pull out of the bid for the premier international baseball tournament of 2023," Kao wrote.

"Cook has concerns over the quality of the ballpark as it failed the 30-minute lawn watering test and took much longer to drain, during his onsite assessment on Dec. 14 ... Even worse, he discovered a 20-centimeter long brick during his field soil sampling as part of the assessment."

Three weeks later, Kao led a team of experts to the stadium and dug several holes to sample soil. They found more waste, including wires, bricks, and rubble, which is why it is believed the stadium failed the test.

"For an expensive stadium that costs NT$1.2 billion (US$39 million), the field should not be mixed with waste materials," the mayor said.

She said the next day (Jan. 6) in a post that the city government had filed a report to the local prosecutors office to investigate the incident. She wants to find out if there was any corruption or other violations related to the building of the ballpark.

The stadium was closed indefinitely days after its reopening last July following reports of several baseball players being injured during games. The three-year stadium renovation project costs NT$1.2 billion under the leadership of Democratic Progressive Party's then-Hsinchu mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅).

Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (center) holds a picture of waste wire found in the ballpark. (Facebook, Anne Kao photo)