Taiwan’s first female baseball umpire-in-chief, Liu Po-chun, on Tuesday in New York received the International Olympic Committee’s 2019 Women and Sport World Award.

Liu won the World Trophy because of her staunch advocacy for female empowerment through sport, the committee said.

Throughout her sports career, she has not been deterred by gender discrimination, the committee said on its Web site.

“It has not been an easy road, but her determination saw her go from being a volunteer in the little league to becoming the first female baseball umpire in her native Chinese Taipei,” it said.

Liu, the first Taiwanese to receive the Women and Sport World Award, thanked her parents, saying that they are not typical Asian parents, as they allowed her to enjoy all kinds of sports and did not demand that she study all day.

It was not easy to battle gender discrimination to become the first female baseball umpire in Taiwan, she said on Facebook.

“I believe you all understand how difficult it is for women to take a leadership role,” Liu said. “We cannot just be good, we have to be much better.”

The award will serve an inspiration to empower girls and young women so that they can realize their full potential and take control of their lives, the 40-year-old said.

In 2017, Liu was selected to participate in the US Department of State and ESPNW Global Sports Mentoring Program, which aims to empower emerging leaders to serve their local communities by increasing access to and opportunities for participation in sports.

Last year, she made Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s most influential women in sports.

Each year, the committee awards a World Trophy and six continental ones, which all come with a grant to help with the work of women who are seen as role models and agents of change in the pursuit of gender equality.

In partnership with UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, the awards ceremony was held at the UN’s headquarters in New York.

[Taipei Times, 2019-03-22]