Taipei City Councilor Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) criticized Taipei Dome operator Farglory Group (遠雄集團) and Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) after water dripped onto fans sitting in outfield seats during Sunday’s baseball game, while fans demanded a safety inspection after reporting experiencing a vibration sensation at the second-floor level seats.
Yen demanded that the Taipei City Government conduct a thorough inspection and safety checks on the roof to repair the leaks before the next sports event at the Taipei Dome.
Yen said that “Farglory Group as its operator promised it would fix the problems since the dome opened, but as many issues still persist, Mayor Chiang and his officials have forfeited their legal responsibility to ensure public safety at the venue.”
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
Dozens of fans in the left outfield seating area had to relocate to another section after water leaked from the roof and splashed onto them halfway through Sunday’s CPBL baseball game between the Weichuan Dragons and CTBC Brothers, which had an attendance of 20,000.
Farglory Group general manager Jacky Yang (楊舜欽) apologized to the affected fans and said that the group “would continue to make efforts to maintain and repair the roof, improve and upgrade the facility and to bring about a more enjoyable experience for sports fans.”
However, Yen and other city councilors said much of the problems stem from neglect by Farglory Group and inaction by the Taipei City Government.
Yen said that the water leaks have become an international embarrassment since it occurred at three major sport events held at the Taipei Dome, the Asian Baseball Championship in December last year, the mini-series between visiting Japanese club Yomiuri Giants and Taiwanese baseball teams early last month, and now the opening games of the CPBL season.
Chiang yesterday announced a comprehensive review of the water leak incidents, and has requested a report into the matter later this year.
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