International Softball executives have revealed the eleven youth under-19 National Teams for the X ISF Junior Men’s World Softball Championship that will be staged in Whitehorse, Canada from 11-20 July.
Youth National Teams from five continents of the globe (Asia, Europe, North- and South America, and Oceania) will unite in Whitehorse for the Junior Men’s Under-19 (U-19) youth Softball World Championship — a flagship youth softball event.
Argentina will head to Whitehorse as the reigning U-19 junior men’s softball world champion — winning South America’s historic first-ever softball world championship at the IX U-19 youth championship in 2012 — and will be joined host Canada, Mexico, United States and Venezuela, as representatives of the Americas.
Japan, the 2012 U-19 silver medalist, and Singapore — which is marking its second world championship appearance — will be in Whitehorse on behalf of Asia.
Europe will be represented at the world championship in Whitehorse by Central Europe’s Czech Republic and the Nordic country of Denmark.
Oceania will be represented by the 2012 bronze medalist Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand’s elite Men’s National Team won the gold medal in the 2013 Men’s Softball World Championship.
“The Local Organising Committee in Whitehorse has tremendous experience in both hosting and building a sustainable legacy for the local community through the delivery of excellent Softball World Championships, and I am confident the 2014 U-19 Junior Men’s Softball World Championship will be another exciting and well-organised world stage for these dedicated young athletes to shine and proudly represent these eleven National Teams — and their continents,” said WBSC co-President Don Porter.
“While the sporting world is beginning to shift its focus to the youth/lifestyle demographic, the WBSC is proud to already be well-positioned and established with baseball and softball youth world championships across a wide range of age categories and both genders — and we are committed to connecting with more and more youth and growing the brand of our youth properties aggressively,” Porter added.
In addition to the Under-19 Men’s Youth Softball Championship, WBSC oversees Under-16 Women’s Softball World Cup, the Under-19 Women’s Softball World Championship and the youth-centered Baseball World Cups, which are organised across the Under-12, Under-15, Under-18 and Under-21 age categories.
