The
future Youth Olympic discipline, five-on-five Baseball5, will be amongst the
sports to be showcased at the FAN PARK of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,
which run from 24 August to 5 September.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), through a cooperation with various stakeholders including the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and The Yomiuri Shimbun will host the Baseball5 exhibition in the FAN PARK's Sport Initiation zone, an outdoor area located on the west side of Central Square in the Aomi district.
"It is a tremendous honour to have Baseball5 included in the Sport Initiation zone alongside the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "While the showcase during the Olympic Games could not take place, we fully wanted to show our fullest support and commitment to the organizers and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Joining the Paralympic family is one of the key priorities for the WBSC, as we share the mission and vision to help shape a more inclusive society and make sport accessible to anybody who wishes to enjoy them. In this regard, Baseball5 is one of the key tools that is opening the door for more baseball and softball to be played, adapted and shared with the world."
Visitors
will be able to try and observe the urban discipline of Baseball5 first hand
and visit the WBSC booth in the FAN PARK.
Audiences
worldwide will also be able to join the 2020 FAN PARK including Baseball5
showcase through the 2020 Fan TV live streaming, available online and via
social media.
The FAN
PARK will be open from 10 am to 8 pm JST. It will be accessible to a limited
number of visitors who have made reservations in advance through the Tokyo 2020
website. The reservation system will open on Monday, 23 August.
All
visitors must be Tokyo residents. Priority will be given to elementary and
junior high school students and their parents.
The
final details of the Sports Initiation programme and how to follow the
live-stream will be announced at later dates.
Baseball5
will make its Youth Olympic Games (YOG) debut at the Dakar 2026 YOG in Senegal,
Africa.
