The V WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and I WBSC U-12 Softball World Cup kicked off simultaneously at the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadiums, Shanhua Baseball Field, and Gueiren Baseball Field on July 26, 2019. Twelve national baseball teams and four national softball teams from all over the world and Taiwan will compete for the highest honors in U-12 Baseball and Softball in the following ten days. The opening ceremony was held at 5:50 in the afternoon at the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center. During half-time, there was a performance by 100 UAVs which lighted up Tainan's night sky with words such as "Homerun" and other formations.
Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che expressed that the opening of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup is the result of a significant period of dedication and hard work; yet kicking off the event is just a beginning, as Tainan's ultimate goal is to provide a successful and impressive experience for all participants. Huang pointed out that since the competition is a major event for all Tainan residents, everyone is working hard to let the athletes leave with a positive and lasting impression of the stadiums and Tainan City.
Chinese Taipei defeated strong opponent Cuba (3:2) in 2011, the first edition, and won the World Cup. This year the home team faces off Cuba once again at their first match. A total of twelve Little League baseball teams will compete in this edition: the US, Japan, Korea, Cuba, Mexico, Czech Republic, South Africa, Australia, Italy, Fuji, Venezuela, and Taiwan. The WBSC U-12 Softball World Cup, which is hosted in Tainan for the first time, welcomed four teams (Peru, Indonesia, Czech Republic, and Taiwan) to compete for the championship.
Tainan City Government assigned sixteen elementary schools as hosting schools for the foreign athletes. Hosting schools will go to the games to support and cheer on their teams. On rest day (July 31), a wide array of cultural activities and visits are arranged to introduce beautiful Tainan, the old cultural capital, to the children from around the world.
The nine-day competition will be held from July 26 to August 4. All games are free of admission except for the games in which Chinese Taipei are competing, the semi-final, and finals. Tickets are available from July 15 through ibon kiosks. Tickets are also available at the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadiums and Training Centers, where you can find event ambassador POKEMON merchandise as well.