Pingtan Softball Stadium, accommodating about 5,000 spectators, is one of the best nationwide and qualified to host international softball competitions. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

Authorities in Pingtan, Fujian province announced on Feb 2 that this year's Straits Cup Women Softball Invitational will be held at the Pingtan Softball Stadium from May 5 to 10, local news portal ptnet.cn reported.

Four teams, two from Taiwan and two from the Chinese mainland, will participate in the game, said local authorities.

The opportunity to hold the game arises from the county's high-level softball venue and good performance when it hosted the first National Youth Games last October, explained Yang Xu, director of the softball department of the General Administration of Sports of China (GASC) and secretary of the Chinese Softball Association.

Yang went on to say that the venue meets the standard of international softball competitions and Pingtan is surely capable of holding more domestic and overseas events. He also claimed that the Chinese Softball Association will offer strong support to increase Pingtan's influence in national softball events.

Gao Yun, head of Pingtan's culture and sports department, said that the match will promote the development of local softball and enhance cross-Straits sports exchanges.

Gao also added that local government is planning a second stage project for the softball stadium and aims to turn it into a national softball base. With investment of 110 million yuan ($16.7 million), the project will add new training grounds and athletes' villages.

The Straits Cup Women Softball Invitational is an annual event launched by the Chinese Softball Association and Taiwan's Taipei Softball Association in 2010.