Italy to host 2021 European Baseball Championship

Italy to host 2021 European Baseball Championship
18/08/2020
The hosting cities, Turin, Avigliana and Settimo Torinese, are in the Piedmont region, one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. The tournament will expand to 16 teams.

The Baseball Division of WBSC Europe awarded the hosting rights of the European Baseball Championship 2021 to Italy. The tournament will be played in Turin, Avigliana and Settimo Torinese in the northwestern region Piedmont.

The Mayor of Turin, the capital city of Piedmont, Chiara Appendino commented on Twitter about the "great success" of the candidature.

Italy hasn't hosted the European Baseball Championship since 1999. Turin was one of the cities that hosted the games of the final round of the IBAF World Cup 2009, including a sold out Italy vs USA.

"All venues fulfil the requested standard," said WBSC Europe in a statement. "Further upgrades will be supported by the municipal administrations of the hosting cities."

"I would like to congratulate Italy for being awarded with the organizing rights of the 2021 European Baseball Championship. I'm delighted to see Italy, one of European Baseball's pillars, organizing our premiere event for the first time since 1999," said Didier Seminet, co-President of WBSC Europe. "I also would like to emphasize how the organization of the 2021 European Baseball Championship in the Piedmont region, one of the hardest hit in the continent by the COVID-19 outbreak, will demonstrate Italy's capacity to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. I'm very much looking forward to the 36th edition of the European Baseball."

Andrea Marcon, the President of the Italian Baseball Softball Federation (FIBS, Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball) added: "This marks Italy's come back to the top of our disciplines not only in sport achievements, but also at the organizational level. 2021 will be a year in which our country will be the undisputed center of the European movement, hosting a series of events, the European Softball Championship and the U18 European Baseball."

The Baseball European Championship 2021 is scheduled for the month of September and will expand from 12 to 16 teams. The format of the tournament and the qualification process for the supplemental four teams will be announced at a later date.