Hosting Rights of 2016 Baseball World Cups Awarded To Japan, Mexico, South Korea

U-15 Baseball World Cup

The world governing body for baseball and softball, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), has announced today that the hosting rights of the three Baseball World Cups (U-15, U-21 and Women’s) to be staged in 2016 have been awarded and will go to Japan, Mexico and South Korea.

The III U-15 Baseball World Cup will be celebrated in Japan, where twelve countries will unite for the youth international baseball showpiece.

With the acquisition of the rights to host the U-15 Baseball World Cup in 2016, Japan is set to host baseball world championships in three successive years, following the ENEOS Presents VI Women’s Baseball World Cup this September in Miyazaki and the 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup, which will take place at historic Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo.

The II U-21 Baseball World Cup will be celebrated in Sinaloa, Mexico — where the highly-attended II U-15 Baseball World Cup just recently concluded, with world No. 3 Cuba crowned U-15 world champions by defeating top-ranked USA in the gold medal finale in Mazatlán. The first-ever U-21 Baseball World Cup is being held in Taichung, Taiwan this year from 7-16 November.

The 2016 Women’s Baseball World Cup will head to South Korea, where the women’s competition will be boosted from eight participating countries this year in Miyazaki to twelve in 2016. The expansion of the women’s baseball platform aligns with the objectives of WBSC’s leadership to promote gender-equality and to provide more opportunities for girls and women to be empowered through sports that women like to play, like baseball-softball.

World Baseball Softball Confederation

Commenting on the naming of the three hosts of the baseball world championships in 2016, the WBSC President, Riccardo Fraccari, said:

“We are extremely delighted with these excellent bids that derive from key markets.

Continuing to attract high-quality hosts to successfully deliver and showcase our events is a key indicator of baseball and softball’s global appeal and popularity, and of the lasting legacy and value returned to the hosts.”

Since 2009, the baseball and softball world championships, or stages thereof, have been held in 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and North-, South- and Central America, and include Argentina, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Puerto Rico, San Marino, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United States and Venezuela.

MTN Lagos Street Soccer: U-15 winner for CHAN finals

Winner of the maiden U-15 junior category of the yearly MTN Lagos Street Soccer Championships will on Friday, January 31, depart for South Africa to watch the finals of this year’s African Nations Championship (CHAN).

The final, which holds on Saturday February 1 at the Cape Town Stadium, will have the 12-man team made up of 10 players and two officials present at the stadium to cheer the teams to victory.

The trip is in fulfilment of the promise made by the organisers as part of the reward for the outstanding team that took part in the championship sponsored by MTN Nigeria Plc.

According to the executive secretary of MTN Lagos Street Soccer, Deji Aladegbemi, the players would be exposed to top class training and mentoring sessions to be handled by qualified football experts in South Africa.

“As part of our promises before the championship, we have decided to take the winner of the U-15 junior event of the MTN Lagos Street Soccer Championship to South Africa to watch the final of the ongoing CHAN. For us, the players are the future of the game and it is very important they experience what they intend to become in future. Aside watching the finals of CHAN in Cape Town, they will be in Johannesburg for training and mentoring session under the guidance of qualified football coaches. We believe this alone will inspire the players to aim high in future and continue to work hard,” he said.

The LOC scribe added: “In Lagos State, we are committed to grassroots sports development through schools sports and for us this is the uniqueness of this year’s tournament as we hope to improve on the reward in 2014. Also, we will also emphasis the need for the players to be in schools so that they can combine sports and education because this is what the International Olympics Committee (IOC) is preaching now.”