Premier international baseball match will once again take place in Taichung! The 2019 WBSC Premier 12 is a qualifying tournament for the Olympic baseball event at Tokyo 2020, and Group B preliminary round matches will be held at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, where Chinese Taipei will take on Japan, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. According to Taichung City Government, it is an honor to have the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium recognized internationally again, and the city hall will spare no effort in hosting the tournament. The public is also welcome to come to the stadium to view the matches to unleash home ground advantage and root for team Chinese Taipei.

In with regards to qualification for the Olympic baseball event at Tokyo 2020, besides automatic qualification by Japan as the host nation, one team from the Americas, Europe, and Africa will be qualified as well. This year’s WBSC Premier 12 decides qualification by 2 additional teams - the best team from the Americas and the best team from Asia or Oceania. The final spot will be awarded in a world final qualification tournament held in March 2020 involving 6 teams.

According to the Sports Bureau, WBSC Premier 12 is an international baseball tournament held by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Since 2 qualifying spots are at stake for this year’s tournament, all the teams will go all out to compete for the best results. WBSC Premier 12 preliminary round includes: Group A (USA, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, and Mexico), they will compete in Mexico; Group B (Chinese Taipei, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela), they will compete at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium during 11/2-11/8; Group C (South Korea, Cuba, Canada, and Australia), they will compete in Seoul, South Korea.

The Sports Bureau elaborated that Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium is an American style baseball field sporting unobstructed views for the audience. Divided into an upper and lower deck level, the infield and outfield seats can accommodate up to 20,000 fans, while hardware such as LED screen and scoreboard, professional sound system, seats, and dugouts make the stadium a professional and user-friendly facility. Furthermore, the stadium has abundant experience in transport, security, match, and various other aspects. Currently, the city hall has entrusted the stadium’s management and maintenance to CTBC Holding.

Sports Bureau suggested that Taichung City was given the title of “World Baseball Capital” by International Baseball Federation (IBAF), and it is honored to be selected once again as the venue for hosting this year’s WBSC Premier 12 Group B preliminary round matches. Mayor Shiow-yen Lu perceives great importance in this event and has instructed all relevant departments to be fully prepared so that the players can compete in the tournament with peace of mind. It is also hoped to attract more baseball fans to the stadium to root for team Chinese Taipei and help the national team secure a qualifying spot for the Olympic baseball event at Tokyo 2020, in turn generate another wave of baseball mania.