TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A field management expert from the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) organization visited Hsinchu, Taiwan, this week to address Hsinchu Baseball Stadium’s drainage problems.

Chad Olsen, who is also general manager of the BrightView Company’s sports turf division, met with Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) on Thursday (July 13) at the stadium. Work crews were photographed on Thursday with an excavator digging holes in the field to examine the soil layers and composition of the ballpark, reported UDN.

In June last year, the Hsinchu Baseball Stadium was closed just days after it was opened due to serious drainage problems, as well as an array of smaller issues that indicated contractors may have misused funds during the stadium’s construction. The stadium became the focus of a political scandal in Hsinchu and influenced the 2022 mayoral election, in which Ann Kao was elected.

Soon after taking office, Kao hired an independent team to survey the shuttered stadium and determine the extent of the site’s problems. Based on the findings, which included waste materials in the soil, and a failed drainage test, Kao ordered an investigation into the companies and offices responsible to determine if there was any evidence of corruption or other criminal violations.

In March, it was reported that 10 government officials under the previous administration were suspected of graft, and that an estimated NT$40 million (US$1.34 million) was funneled out of the funds allocated for soil emplacement and drainage work. Management of two contracted companies, AECOM and Chuchia Construction, may also face charges related to fraud.



For Mayor Kao, investigating and improving the conditions of the Hsinchu Baseball Stadium have become a test of her administration’s efficiency and governance capabilities, and by extension, the TPP as well.

According to reports, crews will dig holes in eight places to test drainage conditions throughout the field area. Additionally, gravel and soil samples will be sent to a U.S. laboratory for testing before a proposal to remedy the problem is offered to Hsinchu City Government.

Kao thanked Chad Olsen and his team for helping survey the stadium. Kao said she and her team are determined to improve the stadium’s condition for the people of Hsinchu.

She hoped the stadium would be ready to host baseball games as soon as possible.