About 152 Violations at Hsinchu Baseball Stadium: Hsinchu Mayor 高虹安:新竹棒球場 最新盤點出152項缺失

Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao held a press conference to reveal that the Hsinchu City Public Works Department found 152 violations during the inspection at the Hsinchu Baseball Stadium. She also announced that it will not host the WBC baseball warm-up games this year.

Renovations of Hsinchu City Baseball Stadium were completed at the end of last year and Major League Baseball personnel surveyed the stadium on Dec. 14 to assess whether the stadium could be a venue for official WBC warm-up games. Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao held a press conference on the 5th to reveal there are still 152 violations. In two random samplings on Dec. 14 last year and Jan. 4 this year, red bricks, used wires, and stones over 3 centimeters were found in the top layer of the stadium's soil. 

Ann Kao, Hsinchu City Mayor: “If you see there are bricks, stones, and wires in this soil today, then I really feel the player's injury was not an accident. A field like this does not comply with regulations. There is no way for players to play safely on this field. ”

Kao bluntly stated that the industrial waste found during the review has violated the contract's design specifications. The contractor is suspected of cutting corners. The field was flooded within 30 minutes after the sprinklers were turned on for a drainage test. 

Ann Kao, Hsinchu City Mayor: “We tried hard to find ways to improve the stadium these past 10 days. But there are too many unsatisfactory items. We can't afford to risk hosting a game under the condition that the stadium is unsafe and has not been approved. So sorry. There will be no WBC warm-up games this time in Hsinchu City. ”

Kao also said that all evidence, videos, and recordings at the scene will be sent to judicial units. Investigators have already started a case file. Hsinchu City Baseball Stadium will hire professional field consultants to assist in revisions and adjustments. There is still no timetable for the stadium's restart. 

新竹市立棒球場去（2022）年底改善完成，美國大聯盟去年12月14日派員場勘，評估是否能作為WBC世界經典賽官辦熱身賽場地，市長高虹安5日召開記者會，揭露工務處最新盤點出的152項缺失。在去年12月14日和今年1月4日兩次的隨機取樣中，在球場的淺層土壤中發現，紅磚頭、廢棄電線以及超過3公分的石頭。

新竹市長高虹安指出：「如果今天看到這個土壤裡面，有磚頭、石頭、電線，我真的覺得這個球員的受傷，其實真的不是意外造成的，是這樣子的一個球場本身不合乎規定，沒有辦法讓球員安全的在場上比賽。」

高虹安直言，新竹棒球場開挖取樣發現的廢棄物，已經違反契約設計圖的規範，並有偷工減料的嫌疑；灑水測試30分鐘就淹水，也顯示草皮、土壤排水不佳。

新竹市長高虹安表示：「在這10天以來，努力的在看球場想辦法要改善，但是缺失真的太多，我們沒有辦法擔得起。在球場不安全，沒有驗收的情況之下，來讓國際的選手跟我國的選手，去冒這樣大的風險。所以很抱歉，我們這一次新竹市，不舉辦WBC的經典賽熱身賽。」

高虹安也表示，接下來會將所有現場的證據、影片、錄音主動送交給司法單位處理，目前檢調也已經立案調查。未來新竹市棒球場將聘請專業的場務顧問建立團隊，協助修改調整，目前球場重啟仍沒有時間表。