IV U-23 Baseball World Cup set to start, trophy unveiled during welcome press conference

The spectacular Championship Trophy for the IV U-23 Baseball World Cup was unveiled during a welcome ceremony and press conference for the tournament organized by the hosts the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) at the Renaissance Taipei Shihlin Hotel in Taipei City on Tuesday.

Local dignitaries and media attended the event as well as the 11 players from the Chinese Taipei U-23 team, who took the floor to share welcome messages with the 11 visiting teams.

WBSC Executive Director Michael Schmidt welcomed all the participants and said "it is always great to be back in Taiwan where baseball fans are some of the best in the world".

"This U-23 Baseball World Cup will provide some great memories for all the participants and the fans as we watch the best players in this age category compete for the official World Championship title. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it and I wish everyone the best of luck for the tournament."

Schmidt also gave a nod to hosts CTBA who have already hosted the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the WBSC Congress earlier this year. "The CTBA continues to be a key partner for the WBSC and we are grateful for their expertise and hospitality in putting on another great event and an unforgettable experience for all the teams and players who will compete here," he said.

Chinese Taipei Baseball Association Vice President Hua-Wei Lin sent a welcome message to the 11 National Teams which travelled to the island to participate in the tournament. “This shows that the U-23 Baseball World Cup is one of the most important tournaments in the international baseball schedule,” Lin said

World No. 2 Chinese Taipei will open the tournament on Thursday, 13 October, facing No. 11 Colombia at Tianmu Stadium in Taipei City at 6:30 pm local time.

The two teams are part of Group A and will play the rest of their games in Taichung and Dou Liou, facing No. 1 Japan, No. 6 Venezuela, No 18 Germany and No. 26 South Africa.

Tianmu Stadium will host Group B's games, including No. 3 Korea, No. 4 Mexico, No. 8 Netherlands, No. 9 Cuba, No. 10 Australia and No. 16 Puerto Rico.

The top three finishers of each group will compete in the Super Round (20, 21, and 22 October). At the end of the Super Round, the first and second-place teams will play for the U-23 World Title, while the third and fourth-place teams will compete for a bronze medal.

The medal games are scheduled on Sunday, 23 October.

You may also be interested in:
- The host cities Taipei, Taichung and Dou Liou
- Ten things to know about the U-23 Baseball World Cup
- The history of the U-23 Baseball World Cup
- The U-23 Baseball World Cup regulations