BASEBALL, SOFTBALL WELCOME TOKYO 2020 DECISION THAT SETS STAGE FOR HISTORIC OLYMPIC RETURN

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) today joined players and leadership from leagues around the world in welcoming the landmark decision by the hosts of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to propose adding baseball/softball among five new sports for the Games in 2020.

Tokyo 2020 said in a statement: “This package of events represents both traditional and emerging, youth-focused events, all of which are popular both in Japan and internationally. They will serve as a driving force to further promote the Olympic Movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal, and will add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide, reflecting the Tokyo 2020 Games vision.”

The top sport in Japan, baseball/softball is the biggest sport not currently featured at the Olympic Games — particularly in terms of youth participation in actual organised competition, as the vast majority of baseball/softball’s estimated 65 million athletes in over 140 countries are between the ages of 5 to 21.

Tokyo 2020’s proposal for additional events must be reviewed, voted upon and formally approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next August ahead of the 2016 Games.

“Tokyo 2020’s decision to propose our sport is a ‘home run’ and giant leap forward for baseball and softball,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “On behalf of WBSC and our athletes, I would like to thank Tokyo 2020 as well as IOC President Thomas Bach, whose Olympic Agenda 2020 vision has paved the way for this extraordinary opportunity. The entire baseball and softball world is excited and ready to cross the Olympic home plate. But above all, I am happy for all our male and female athletes who today can see there is a real chance to fulfil their greatest dream of representing their country in the most important sporting spectacle there is — the Olympic Games.”

Japanese National Team 2008 Olympic softball gold medallist Yukiko Ueno stated, “Everybody in baseball and softball has their sights on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and wants to play for gold in front of some of the best crowds in the world.”

Cuba’s star baseball pitcher Yosvani Torres (world No. 3 Cuban National Team member and 2014 Most Valuable Player of the Cuban National Series with club Pinar del Río) expressed, “The National Baseball Team is a great source of pride for our entire country and it would be the highest honour/duty and thrilling to represent my country and our sport in the Olympics — the pinnace of sports.”

Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred said: “Today’s announcement by Tokyo 2020 to include baseball/softball into its proposal for additional events at the 2020 Olympic Games is an exciting step forward to hopefully seeing our game return to this great platform. We look forward to the IOC’s decision in August 2016.”

Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Commissioner Katsuhiko Kumazaki, stated, “The recommendation today from Tokyo 2020 to restore Olympic baseball and softball has drawn attention here in Japan as well as globally. United with WBSC and our colleagues from around the world, baseball and softball want to shine bright for Tokyo 2020 and the Olympic Movement moving forward.”

WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari credit ibaf.org

WBSC President Fraccari added: “Baseball and softball’s global position, expansion and opportunities today are thanks to all of our partners’ contributions and a shared vision to return our sport to the highest stage in sports, the Olympic Games. And we will do everything possible so that baseball and softball, if included, are a great attraction/success for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and IOC’s Agenda 2020, as it remains WBSC’s top priority to demonstrate that our sport aligns with the Olympic Movement and has the qualities to earn a place on the Olympic programme in 2020 and in future Games.”

WBSC’s previous Olympic bid, which proposed baseball and softball for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, earned the second-highest amount of votes at the 2013 IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, finishing behind wrestling.

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games: Japan boosting efforts for inclusion of Baseball and Softball

Tokyo 2020 chief, Yoshiro Mori, says baseball/softball in 2020 would be a “big plus”.

As support for baseball and softball to be included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games continues to mount across Japan, with a growing chorus from all parts of the globe, the political group consisting of 67 Diet Members campaigning for baseball and softball at the Olympic Games assembled in Tokyo for the second time in a month last Tuesday, November 18 in the Japanese Diet.

Kazuhiro Tawa, Senior Advisor of Baseball Federation of Japan, and Taeko Utsugi, Vice President of Japan Softball Association — as well as World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) executive member — made presentations to the supportive Diet members, exchanged ideas and were encouraged to expand the baseball/softball Olympic inclusion campaign.

The Diet Federation members from the LDP of Japan recognized the ongoing work by the baseball/softball family, including the screening of the promotional video on the stadium jumbotron during the recent WBSC-sanctioned “Japan Series” between the top-ranked Japanese National Baseball Team, Samurai Japan, and the MLB All-Stars at the Tokyo Dome, and University/High School Baseball Championship at Meiji Jingu Stadium.

Immediately following the Diet meeting, the 40-proposal Olympic Agenda 2020 reform programme was released from the International Olympic Committee’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The potential reforms being introduced by the IOC would allow host cities to propose the inclusion of one or more events for their games — a move which would clear the way for baseball and softball to be included in the 2020 Games.

IOC Vice-President John Coates, who was visiting Tokyo with his IOC Coordination Commission team, and Chairman of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee Yoshiro Mori, spoke to the media on how the IOC President Thomas Bach’s reform agenda could affect planning for Tokyo 2020.

“In the case of Japan, including baseball and softball would be a great idea,” Mori said at the news conference last Wednesday. “The two sports are very popular in Japan and having them on the program would be a big plus.”

World Baseball Softball Confederation

The Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms will be put to a vote by the full IOC membership at a special session in Monaco on December 8-9.

The first/last bid from the new world governing body, WBSC, to include baseball and softball in the 2020 Olympic Games was at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September 2013, where wrestling was voted back onto the official Olympic Programme the day after Tokyo was announced as the host of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Nations, Groups, Schedule unveiled for launch of 21U Baseball World Cup

Nations, Groups, Schedule unveiled for launch of 21U Baseball World Cup — highlighting global youth appeal, interest in baseball among young people in countdown to Olympic decision

wsbc

– Excitement growing for start of 21U world championship that will help finalise elite group of 2015 ‘Premier 12’ nations.

The world governing body for baseball, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), unveiled a global collection of National Teams for the inaugural Under-21 Baseball World Cup that will be staged next month in Taichung, Taiwan from 7-16 November.

Added anticipation and excitement has been building for the start of the 21U Baseball World Cup because it is the final global competition before announcing the twelve qualified teams for “The Premier 12”, the new flagship, pro-player international baseball tournament that will be launched in 2015 and feature the world’s Top 12 ranked nations and award US$ multi-millions in prize money.

LIVE BASEBALL BROADCAST

In a further boost to the launch, visibility, and success of the newest world championship baseball platform to be rolled out under the WBSC, agreements have been reached to secure live television production for nearly half the games, with additional distribution deals to expand coverage, including global distribution via online and mobile platforms expected to be announced imminently.

“The broadcast and TV coverage of international baseball and softball competitions and events both drives and builds on the growing appeal of baseball and softball to young people in schools and in communities, among TV audiences, and in the growing list of sponsors,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.

The Baseball/Softball family under the WBSC, along with other sports federations, are awaiting the outcome of the International Olympic Committee’s review — to be announced in December at a special Session in Monte Carlo — on the process for adding/dropping sports to the Olympic programme, which may allow a new opportunity to have the bat-and-ball’s Olympic status restored in time for inclusion at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where baseball and softball are leading national sports and are supported passionately at all levels of Japanese society.

NATIONS

The eleven National Teams that will unite in Taichung to battle for the first-ever gold medal in the new 21U category are globally spread across:

– Americas (North, Central & South): No. 10 Venezuela, No. 13 Mexico and No. 28 Nicaragua
– Asia: No. 2 Japan, No. 4 Chinese Taipei and No. 8 South Korea
– Europe: No. 5 Netherlands, No. 11 Italy and No. 26 Czech Republic
– Oceania: No. 15 Australia and No. 25 New Zealand

The first-ever 21U Baseball World cup will feature five of the Top 10 ranked baseball nations in the world and eight nations within the Top 15. All nations heading to Taichung are ranked among baseball’s Top 30, of WBSC’s 141 Member Nations.

World Baseball Softball Confederation

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Forty-three games have been announced for the 2015 21U Baseball World Cup, which will be centred around the modern venues of Douliu Baseball and Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, the latter of which will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. (See Competition Schedule.)

GROUPS / TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The Baseball World Cup Tournament Commission has divided 21U Baseball World Cup teams into two Round Robin groups to open the world championship:

Group A Group B
Chinese Taipei (No. 4) Australia (No. 15)
Czech Republic (No. 26) Japan (No. 2)
Italy (No. 11) Netherlands (No. 5)
Mexico (No. 13) Nicaragua (No. 28)
New Zealand (No. 25) Venezuela (No. 10)
South Korea (No. 8)

Days 1 – 5 will see twenty-five games of round robin action, followed by a rest day, and teams will be battling to finish among the top three nations of their respective groups in advance into the “Super Group”.

SUPER ROUND ROBIN AND FINALE

Days 7, 8 and 9 will feature the top three finishers from Group A colliding with the top three finishers from Group B in the elite nine-game “Super Round-Robin”. The Super Round Robin is a continuation of the opening round-robin, as head-to-head matches and win/loss records against Super Group members carry over from the opening round robin.

The nations not advancing to the Super Round Robin will be grouped together to battle for 7th – 12th place in the Consolation Round Robin.

Day 10: The top two teams escaping the highly-competitive and intense Super Round Robin to finish at the top of the Super Group Standings will play in the gold medal finale on Sunday, 16-Nov, while the third- and fourth-place teams will play for bronze.

BATTLE FOR THE PREMIER 12

No. 11 Italy, No. 13 Mexico, and No. 15 Australia will all be looking to use a high-pressure performance in Taichung to help slide into position among the “Premier 12” nations, while No. 12 Panama, who will not be present, will likely be pushed out of the Top 12. Only 72 points separate No. 11 Italy from No. 15 Australia — and 100 points will be awarded to the 21U world champion.

(Rankings points distribution: 2nd = 80 pts., 3rd = 60 pts., 4th = 30 pts., 5th = 26 pts., 6th = 22 pts., 7th = 18 pts., 8th = 14 pts., 9th = 10 pts., 10th = 6 pts., 11th = 2 pts / See World Baseball Rankings.)

23U PLAYERS ON ROSTER

National Teams will be allowed to carry six 23U players on their 21U Baseball World Cup 24-man rosters, which will further strengthen the competition level. Teams will be able to make use of a maximum of three 23U players in the line-up at the same time.

U-15 Baseball World Cup

2014 AND BEYOND

Following the first-ever 21U Baseball World Cup, the event will be played every two years, with the hosting rights of the next edition in 2016 having been awarded to Sinaloa, Mexico, which recently delivered a highly successful 15U Baseball World Cup.