Taipei  - Taiwanese Friday mourned their baseball team's defeat by China at the Beijing Olympics, saying Taiwan's place in Asian baseball was being threatened by a country that began to train baseball players only five years ago.

The two sides were tied up 3-3 after 10 innings but China defeated Taiwan 8-7 in extra innings.

Taiwan is Asia's third strongest baseball nation after Japan and South Korea and is hoping to win a gold, silver or bronze in baseball.

China began to train baseball players only five years ago, using US and Taiwan coaches, although ordinary Chinese have little interest in the sport.

"Our players tried their best, but the Chinese players have made amazing improvement," said Taiwan chief coach Hung Yi-chung.

In Taiwan, fans reacted with anger, disappointment and bitterness. Some cried, others held their heads in disbelief and there were reports of people smashing TV remote controls.

A heated Internet discussion ensued, with messages like "It is a day for national mourning," "A shame to lose the game and a double shame to lose the game to China," and "It's time to disband our baseball league."

Cable TV channel SET TV said Taiwan's place in Asian baseball was been shaken by the progress of China, which regarded baseball as a capitalist sport and began to train players only five years ago.

With half the events in which Taiwan participates having finished, Taiwan has won only two bronzes. So Taiwan's only chance to win gold and silver is in taekwondo games, played on August 20 and 21.

Saddened by Taiwan's performance at the Beijing Olympics, Chi Cheng, a former runner and former sports official, called on the government to follow China's model and use systematic and military methods to train athletes.

"Without a long-term training programmes, we cannot maintain the level of our athletes and as a result, have little chance of winning medals," she told reporters. (dpa)