TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei City Government said Wednesday (March 13) it was unaware of a NT$60 billion (US$1.9 billion) bid by some of Asia’s wealthiest business people to operate the Taipei Dome.
According to a report by Mirror Media, Jeffrey Koo Jr. (辜仲諒) of CTBC Financial Group has teamed up with Japan’s Softbank founder Son Masayoshi and Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) of Thailand. The list of participants in the plan even included Taiwan’s “King of Mandopop” Jay Chou (周杰倫) with a 1% share, the report said.
The Taipei Dome was completed in 2023 after years of conflict with the Taipei City Government, mostly over safety concerns. On March 2, it posted an attendance record for a baseball game in Taiwan, attracting 37,890 fans.
Koo wanted to manage the 40,000-seat stadium three years ago, when developer Farglory Group asked NT$36 billion, according to Mirror Media. Since then, the price tag has surged to NT$60 billion.
The 18-hectare area included the 10.2-ha stadium, as well as a shopping mall, a movie theater complex, offices, and a hotel. The team looking to operate the sports installation is reportedly also interested in managing the other sites.
Koo holds the title of chair of CTBC Charity Foundation, but the financial group founded by his late father also invested in a baseball team, the CTBC Brothers. The plan would be to turn the Taipei Dome into the team’s home ground.
Son’s Softbank had managed to turn a lossmaking stadium in Fukuoka into a profitable enterprise. The company’s experience could be valuable in managing the Taipei stadium, the report said.
The third main shareholder in the alleged consortium, Thailand’s CP, is owned by the family of the country’s wealthiest business person, Dhanin Chearavanont, who runs 7-Eleven convenience stores, Lotus’s supermarkets, and the True telecom group. Koo reportedly wants to take a share of 50%, while Softbank and CP would each hold 20%.
However, in a reaction to the report, Farglory Group said it had no plans to sell. The Taipei City Government said it had not received any notification about an offer.
Chou’s music label also rejected the report, dismissing it as the product of a vivid imagination, the Liberty Times reported.