2021 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup: Chinese Taipei, Korea, Japan automatically qualify as Asian championship cancelled
The three continental powerhouses were the top three finishers of the previous edition.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), together with the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA), have awarded Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea automatic entries into this year's WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
The decision follows the cancellation of the XI BFA U-12 Asian Baseball Championship 2021 - which had been scheduled to take place this month in Tainan, Taiwan - due to health and safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The continental championships/qualifiers serve as pathways into the WBSC Baseball World Cups.
Reverting to the final standings of the previous BFA U-12 Championship in 2018, Chinese Taipei, Korea and Japan were the top three finishers and will represent Asia in this summer's WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan.
BFA describes the decision to cancel the Asian championship as "painful" through its official website. "This decision was not taken lightly," stated BFA, "but in consideration of the safety of the players, coaches and all participants of the event."
Chinese Taipei are baseball's defending world champions in the 12-year-old age group (and also the U-18 age bracket).