Nagoya Asian Games soft tennis tournament gets hotter, Taiwan wins gold and achieves great results

The stalls surrounding the soft net event were crowded with people queuing up (photo by special correspondent Wu Mengru)

[Special Correspondent Wu Mengru/Nagoya Report] The soft tennis event of the Nagoya Asian Games was held at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in a warm atmosphere. It is also Taiwan's key medal pool in the Asian Games. However, this sport is relatively unpopular in China. It only has the opportunity to introduce itself to everyone every four years. After seeing many Taiwanese media at the scene, a fan who came to watch the game said to our reporter in surprise: "Are you all here to report?"

Soft net originated in Japan. At first, it was difficult to popularize due to the high price of the ball, so soft tennis using soft rubber balls was invented. Also because of the manufacturing of domestic rubber balls, soft tennis became popular. In order to promote internationalization, the name was changed to soft tennis in 2002. Soft net is now very popular in Japanese schools, and there is the Soft Net Enterprise League (ST League). These industrial groups are sponsored by large companies. Although the players are employees of the company, their main job is to train and represent the company in competitions, and enjoy excellent resources. As for Taiwan's development, it can be traced back to the Japanese occupation period. It also hosted the first Asian Cup. However, at this stage, there is no league support. Instead, it mainly focuses on international competitions. Players may also have to work as coaches or other jobs to supplement their living expenses.

Please read on...

The stalls surrounding the soft net event were crowded with people queuing up (photo by special correspondent Wu Mengru)

Japan is the host country of the Asian Games. Although the game was held on a weekday this time, there were still a large number of spectators entering the venue. The atmosphere was quite warm, the booths were full of fans, and spectators entered the stadium one after another. In the men's singles top four, Taiwanese player Chen Boyi faced Shangdi. The main star Jungui Uematsu kept cheering, and Chen Boyi also enjoyed it very much. He said: "I don't feel pressure. After all, it is rare to have such a large-scale competition and there are many spectators. I just think they are cheering for me or cheering for this show."

We also saw a lot of "star-chasers" at the scene, seizing the opportunity to take photos with the players and ask for autographs. Maybe the soft net project is relatively unpopular in Taiwan. Only the Asian Games every four years are exposed due to medal winning, but in Japan it has become the object of worship. When asked if he enjoys the feeling of being a star, Chen Boyi said a little embarrassedly: "I have been asked for autographs!"

Taiwan's soft tennis team won a gold medal in the mixed doubles, which was also the team's first gold medal in this Asian Games. The men's and women's teams each won a silver, and the men's singles won a bronze, ranking second in the medal list of the event. Since the soft tennis was listed as an official competition at the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994, Taiwan's team has accumulated 40 medals, becoming a key medal pool.