World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari spoke of his excitement of witnessing some future Olympic stars in action when the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024 gets underway at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Culture Center on Friday.
With the Los Angeles Olympic Games taking place in 2028, President Fraccari said many of the stars featuring in this edition of the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup could be action on the Olympic stage in four years time.
“We’re very excited about the teams and the calibre of players here at this tournament – all potential Olympians," Fraccari said, speaking at the pre-tournament press conference in front of media, teams, and dignitaries.
Fraccari also praised the state-of-the-art Shaoxing Baseball Softball Culture Center, “This beautiful complex, with its world-class baseball facilities, was inaugurated for the Asian Games and will serve baseball in China for many years to come,” stated Fraccari, who also expressed his appreciation to the volunteers, officials, LOC, Chinese Baseball Associations and local authorities for making the tournament possible.
Shaoxing City Government Deputy Mayor Sun Jun welcomed athletes and officials to Shaoxing, a city with more than 2,500 years of history. Sun described Shaoxing as “a city with profound history and culture, a picturesque southern water city, a vibrant city of innovation and entrepreneurship, and moreover, a dynamic city full of sporting spirit.”
Sun also stated that Shaoxing is working closely with the Chinese Baseball Association in promoting baseball and softball effortlessly based on the successful staging of the baseball and softball events in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
Chinese Baseball Association President Chen Xu, in addition to express his gratitude to the WBSC and Shaoxing City Government for the collaboration of the tournament, pointed out that “this World Cup is a platform for exchange and learning. (China) competing against the outstanding teams from Australia, Colombia, Chinese Taipei, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and Venezuela is a rare opportunity.”
“Regardless of the outcomes, we must cherish every chance to compete with our opponents, learn from the experience, and continuously improve ourselves,” said Chen.
Shaoxing City Government Sports Bureau Chief Zhao Tengfei and his team is the core of the local authority that is responsible for the delivery of the tournament. In the press conference Zhao detailed the tasks that were carried out by his team regarding the improvement of the venue, tournament service, volunteer recruitment, safety and security measures., branding and merchandizing, mascot, ticketing and broadcasting.
“After more than a year of meticulous preparation, we are ready to welcome guests from around the globe and showcase a thrilling U-23 international baseball tournament,” Zhao said.
The dignitaries joined together to unveil the championship trophy of the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup.
The tournament will open on 6 September with Nicaragua playing South Africa, and Colombia hosting Australia, followed by Venezuela vs. Netherlands, and Chinese Taipei vs. Korea, before China play Great Britain as the historical debut for both teams, and Japan will play Puerto Rico in the night game.
