Pingtan welcomes six teams for WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B, action starts Wednesday

World No. 2 Japan, No. 3 Puerto Rico, No. 6 Netherlands, No. 7 Italy, No. 11 China, and No. 15 Peru have gathered in Pingtan, China for the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B and presented themselves before the media on the eve of the tournament, which starts on Wednesday.

WBSC Secretary General Beng Choo Low stated that the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is thrilled to be in Pingtan and “it is always a privilege to be in China, a country with a rich history in hosting and supporting WBSC events.

“This tournament has also been the beginning of the Olympic career for many athletes, with Tokyo 2020 being a perfect example. Of the 90 players who participated in the last Olympic Games Softball competition, 46 played in the U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup in the early stages of their career,” Low said.

As the representative of the hosting city, Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Travel, Culture and Sports Bureau representative Changchun Wei first welcomed the teams, officials, and staff to the town. “We truly appreciate the support from the World Baseball Softball Confederation and the Chinese Softball Association. We expect closer collaboration in the future, and we are ready to contribute to softball in China and the world,” Wei said.

Xu Chen, the President of the Chinese Softball Association, expressed his appreciation to the staff that have made the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B possible. “It is your hard work and unremitting effort that has made this world-class softball feast unfold smoothly.”

Chen also pointed out that “regardless of the outcome of the tournament, we should cherish every opportunity to learn from our opponents and improve ourselves.”

Italy's head coach, Andrea Longagnani, stated: “We aim to play the best softball possible and secure a place for next year. Every game in this tournament is like a final because the other teams, like China, are very strong.”

Japan’s head coach Yosuke Sato, when asked about the key for Japanese softball to remain in the leading position in the WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking, stated: “We focus on a system of cultivation, organising events that strengthen athletes based on their age and investing in developing coaches and instructors.”

Netherlands’ head coach, Sanne Bolhuis, said their preparation included playing the games in the highest league in Holland. “We also participated in the Little League World Series and the European Under-22 Championship.”

Julio Cesar, Peru's head coach, made a strong statement during the interview: “Like all the teams here today, we aim to win. Regardless of the outcome, we learn valuable lessons and gain experience from other teams.”

World No.3 Puerto Rico’s head coach, Alexis Barbosa, also made it clear that “our goal, like every other team, is to advance to the next stage of the World Cup.” Barbosa was humbled and added: “We don’t consider ourselves having advantages over other teams. All teams are strong, and anything can happen on the field.”

As the tournament host, China’s head coach, Weigang Huang, first welcomed all athletes, coaches, and staff to Pingtan, China. “We have been training for over 160 days to prepare for the World Cup. Our athletes have worked hard to improve their fitness and technique. We are confident in qualifying for next year's finals.”

A total of 19 games will be played during the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group B tournament taking place from 14-18 August. Peru and Japan open the tournament at 13:00 local time, followed by the Netherlands taking on Puerto Rico at 16:00, and China playing Italy in the night game starting at 19:00.

All games are available on GameTime, the official online streaming platform of the WBSC. Fans in China can watch the games via the Chinese Softball Association WeChat account, local sports streaming programming provider hupu.com, and miguvideo.com.