25/09/2023 3 Minute Read

Asian Games Softball: Olympic champions, World Cup stars to feature at Hangzhou 2022

Olympic gold medallists, softball legends and World Cup stars will feature in the continental event, showcasing the highest level in the softball world at the Shaoxing Baseball & Softball Sports Complex.

The top Asian softball players, and some of the best in the entire world, will take the field on Tuesday to open the sport’s competition on Day 1 at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. Olympic gold medallists, softball legends, rising stars and World Cup veterans will feature in the continental event, showcasing the highest level in the softball world at the Shaoxing Baseball & Softball Sports Complex.

The softball competition includes eight teams split into two groups. In Group A, the best athletes from world No. 1 Japan will face No. 5 Chinese Taipei; No. 38 Singapore and No. 40 Hong Kong, China; while host and No. 11 China will play in Group B, along with No. 21 Philippines, No. 34 Korea and No. 50 Thailand.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the Super Round, set to begin on Friday. The gold medal game is scheduled on Monday 2 October at 6 p.m. local time between the top two teams in the Super Round final standings. Third and fourth will play for the bronze medal.

Four of the eight participating teams in the continental multi-sports event (Japan, China, Philippines and Chinese Taipei) played in the Group Stage of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup this past July, with Japan and China advancing the World Championship Finals next year. Most of the players in these team’s Asiad roster competed in the World Cup two months ago.

You can see the full schedule here.

Group A

Japan and Chinese Taipei are the clear favourites to make the Super Round, facing Singapore and Hong Kong, China in the first stage. The two giants in the group will play each other on Wednesday, on Day 2 of the competition, in a game with potential implications for the Super Round.

Japan, the reigning Olympic champions, will open their five-gold medal defence facing off against Hong Kong, China. The Japanese roster includes Yukiko Ueno, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and two-time World Cup winner who is one of the greatest softball players in the history of the game, along with other five Tokyo 2020 gold medal winners: Haruka Agatsuma, Miu Goto, Nodoka Harada, Hitomi Kawabata and Minori Naito. In addition, the Japanese roster features 15 veterans of the latest World Cup Group Stage, where Japan advanced to next year’s Finals as Group C winners. They remain as the biggest candidate to claim the gold for the sixth time in a row.

Their biggest opponent in Group A will be Chinese Taipei, a team that claimed the bronze medal at The World Games in Birmingham last year, and also participated in the World Cup Group A this year. In spite of not making the Finals, being eliminated after a tough 4-3 loss to Australia, Chinese Taipei brings one more time their best athletes, with all 16 players from the World Cup roster repeating for the Asian Games. Rising star Hsia-Ai Ke, who led her team to a silver medal at the U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup 2021 in Lima, Peru, will be the player to watch.

Hong Kong, China and Singapore finished sixth and seventh respectively in the Women’s Softball Asia Cup 2023, a qualifier event for the World Cup. It would be a major shock if one of them beat Japan or Chinese Taipei and moves to the Super Round.

Group B

China and Philippines are the two main contenders in Group B, over Korea and Thailand. The two teams finished in the top four at the Women’s Softball Asia Cup and played in the Group Stage of the World Cup.

Host China is the top-seeded team in Group B. In July, they advanced to the World Cup Finals as one of the top-eight teams in the tournament, and next year will play for the title of world champions. A total of 15 players from their World Cup roster will wear again the red uniform to represent their country, this time in the Asian Games on home soil. China conquered the first three gold medals in the continental competition, winning two silvers and three bronzes in the last five appearances.

The Philippines look like favourites to move to the Super Round too in Group B. After a pair of consecutive fourth place finishes in the last two Asian Games, the Blu Girls trust again in their World Cup roster with 15 players coming back from the team that finished fourth in Group C. Nicole Hammoude highlights as one of the top bats in the roster, after hitting .467 in the World Cup with one home run and three doubles.

Korea will need to play at their best to defy China and Philippines. In the last Asian Cup, they lost 2-0 to the Philippines in a close game that remained scoreless until the fifth inning. If they can put some pressure on their rivals, they might be able to stun one of the favourites and fight for one spot in the Super Round. Captain Sejin Jang was Korea’s best hitter in the Asian Cup with a .533 average, and will be one of their biggest offensive threats.

For Thailand, the lowest-ranked team in the competition, a win would be a major accomplishment after a 1-5 record at the Asian Cup, winning only against India. They were outscored 31-5 in the competition.