The city government of the Taiwanese city of Tainan will unveil a design partner for a NT$1.7bn (£34.5m, US$50m, €46m) baseball development at the end of the month.

A tender process for the 25,000-capacity arena opened last October, with the deadline set for 15 January. The architect chosen to work on the project will then be announced on 28 January. International standard baseball facilities, an electronic scoreboard and a total floor area of 23,000 sq m (247,569 sq ft) have been highlighted as specifications needed.

The ambitious project, being built to accommodate the growing popularity of the sport in Taiwan, will include a standard deputy stadium, two standard baseball stadiums for World Baseball Softball Federation (WBSF) Little League games, and indoor and outdoor training facilities.

According the the government the development – titled the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadiums and Training Centres – will offer “one of the best baseball training centres and venues” for international, professional and amateur competitions.

The project site is located in the north-east side of Annan District, adjacent to the National Museum of Taiwan History.

Populous founder Rod Sheard is a member of the tender committee alongside Tainan City Government officials, architectural and engineer experts, academics and Jeff Kung, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Baseball Association.

Tainan is already home to the 12,000-capacity Municipal Baseball Stadium, where professional team Uni-President Lions play.

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