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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
- Excitement growing for start of 21U world championship that
will help finalise elite group of 2015 'Premier 12' nations.
LAUSANNE,
Switzerland -- 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:
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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.
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:
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Group A
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Group B
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Chinese Taipei (No. 4)
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Australia (No. 15)
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Czech Republic (No. 26)
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Japan (No. 2)
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Italy (No. 11)
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Netherlands (No. 5)
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Mexico (No. 13)
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Nicaragua (No. 28)
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New Zealand (No. 25)
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Venezuela (No. 10)
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South Korea (No. 8)
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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.
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.
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