As prosecutors continue to investigate a game-fixing scandal in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) , in which many players from its most popular franchise, the Brother Elephants, have been implicated, Ma urged the public not to become disheartened or think negatively of professional baseball players.

"There is nothing wrong with professional baseball. What has been wrong are those who have hurt the sport, " Ma said at a meeting with his advisers on sports to discuss the future of professional baseball at the Presidential Office.

The president stressed that "baseball is a national sport" and pledged that the government will be firm and adopt effective measures to help the league build an environment free from games being rigged.

The game-fixing scandal was the latest in a series of events that has caused convulsions within Taiwan's national pastime and forced the government to react.

Taiwan's national team suffered the ultimate embarrassment when it lost to China in both the 2008 Summer Olympics and the World Baseball Classic earlier this year, resulting in widespread recriminations within the sports community and intense criticism of the government for allowing the sport to fall to such lows.

As a result, the government launched a project to invest NT$1.26 billion (US$39 million) over the next four years to upgrade the level of the sport.

Ma noted that since the disappointment of earlier this year, interest in CPBL was rekindled, with viewership doubling and attendance at the Taiwan Series, which went the full seven games this year, reaching 100,000 for only the second time in Taiwan's baseball history.

CPBL President Chao Shou-po, one of those attending Friday's meeting, suggested several measures that could improve the local environment for professional baseball, including a revision of the Statute for Preventing Organized Crime that would impose steeper penalties on groups involved in underground gambling activities.

He also urged the government to encourage state-run enterprises to sponsor professional baseball teams and pay more attention to amateur-level teams by investing more in grassroots baseball. Lastly, he urged the government to provide tax incentives to professional baseball franchises, which operate in the red almost every year.

(By Lee Shu-hua, Hsiao Pao-hsian and Lilian Wu) President vows to help sound development of professional baseball Taipei, Nov. 6 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou vowed Friday to help sound development of professional baseball and to create an environment that will be free from game-fixing for the professional baseball players.

As the prosecution's probe into an snowballing game-fixing scandals in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) continues, including many players of the popular Brother Elephants, the president also called the public not to become disheartened, or adopt a negative attitude toward the professional baseball players.

"There is nothing wrong with the professional baseball. What was wrong was those who have hurt the sports," Ma said.

The president stressed that "baseball is a national sport," and that the government will be firm and adopt an effective measures to help the league build an environment free from games being rigged. He pointed out that the Sports Affairs Council (SAC) under the Executive Yuan is concerned about the development of the sports.

As Taiwanese team did not fare well in the World Baseball Classic, a major world championship, in March, the government has formulated a project to invest NT$1.26 billion (US$39 million) over the next four years to upgrade the level of the sports.

He pointed out that the number of baseball viewers has grown by one fold, and that the recent seven games of the CPBL championships attracted a total of 100,000 fans, making it the second largest in the professional baseball history.

The president made the remarks over a meeting with his advisers on sports affairs, top aides as well as Education Minister Wu Ching-chi and SAC Minister Tai Hsia-ling.

Chao suggested several measures, including a revision of the syndicated criminal organization act to impose steeper penalty on the illegal group. He also urged the government to attach importance to three-tier baseball teams, by spending more funds on local baseball teams and that more businesses will support professional baseball teams.

Lastly, he urged the government to provide tax incentives to the professional baseball teams, noting that they are in the red almost every year.

(By Lee Shu-hua, Hsiao Pao-hsian and Lilian Wu)