The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), together with
the Mexican Baseball Federation and respective Local Organizing Committee
(LOC), today announced the postponement of the 2020 WBSC U-23 Baseball World
Cup® to 24 September to 3 October 2021, in consideration of the global health
and safety measures and travel limitations pertaining to the coronavirus
pandemic.
The world-championship event had been
set to take place this year from 30 September to 9 October in the
Mexican cities of Ciudad Obregon and Los Mochis.
“As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, the WBSC, as
well as our hosts and all concerned stakeholders, consider the rescheduling of
the U-23 Baseball World Cup to 2021 to be the best and safest course of action,”
said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.
“While today’s decision is disappointing, I am confident that our
Mexican hosts next year will be able to deliver the best-ever U-23 Baseball
World Cup, where fans can fill the stadiums and cheer on their favourite
National Teams, building upon the wave of momentum for our sport in the weeks following
the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“The WBSC thanks the local authorities, PROBEIS and CONADE as well
as the baseball officials in Mexico -- including our colleagues from the
Mexican Baseball League (LMB) and the Mexican Pacific League (LMP) -- for their
support and collaboration.”
The venue plan of the U-23 Baseball World Cup includes the
16,000-seat Estadio Yaquis, which opened in 2016 and is the home of the Yaquis
de Obregon of the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), and the recently renovated
Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada, home of the LMP’s Cañeros de Los Mochis.
The
12 qualified teams competing for baseball’s world title in the U-23 category
will remain as follows:
- Africa (1): No. 24 South Africa
- Americas (4): No. 5 Mexico (host,
defending World Champion), No. 7 Cuba, No. 8 Venezuela, No. 15 Nicaragua
- Asia (3): No. 1 Japan, No. 4 Chinese
Taipei and No. 22 China
- Europe (2): No. 16 Czech Republic and No.
19 Germany
- Oceania (1): No. 39 New Zealand
- Wild
Card (1):
No. 3 Korea
Mexico
won the last U-23 Baseball World Cup, which was held in Barranquilla, Colombia,
in October 2018. It was Mexico’s first-ever official world title in the sport
of baseball.
Previous
U-23 Baseball World Cups have included the top young professional players from
clubs affiliated to the Australian Baseball League (ABL), Chinese Professional
Baseball League (CPBL), Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Major League
Baseball (MLB), Mexican Baseball League (LMB), Nicaraguan Professional Baseball
League, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), in addition to other leagues around
the world.
The
WBSC, together with the respective Mexican host, will continue to monitor and
review the timing of the 2020 Women’s Baseball World Cup (12-21 November
in Tijuana) and the U-15 Baseball World Cup (30 October - 8 November in
Tijuana).