WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier for Tokyo 2020 moved from Taiwan to Mexico

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has announced that the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier to the Olympic Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020 has been moved from Taichung (TPE) to Mexico.

The decision was forced by new restrictions the local authorities imposed in Taiwan due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. In particular, travellers without resident visas will not be allowed to enter the island until Friday, 18 June, and the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier was due to start at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium on 16 June.

Following consultations with medical and governmental authorities and the host Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) and the Chinese (Taipei) Professional Baseball League (CPBL), the WBSC Executive Board, in its meeting via video conference on Wednesday, confirmed the decision to move the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier from Taichung to Mexico.

"The WBSC and entire international baseball community wish to thank our great hosts in Mexico for ‘stepping up to the plate’ to stage this important tournament and welcome the teams on such short notice," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "I would especially like to recognise the efforts of Director General of the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (Comision Nacional de Cultura Fisica y Deporte-CONADE) Ana Guevara and Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is also a WBSC Global Ambassador, in staging this important Olympic qualifier. Mexico has already qualified for Tokyo 2020 in baseball and softball, so they are doing this as a great baseball-loving nation and as a service to our sport -- and in honour of the Olympic Games and global baseball family.

"We also wish to thank the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association and authorities in Taiwan for doing everything possible to stage the event there. Taiwan remains one of the elite international baseball hosts in the world, and we will return there at the next possible opportunity."

The dates and venues of the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier in Mexico will be confirmed very soon.

Three teams have already earned their right to participate in the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier: World No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 6 Australia and No. 9 the Netherlands. The other two participants will be the runner-up and the third-place finisher of the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier, held from 31 May to 5 June in Florida.

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Contact: media@wbsc.org

About the World Baseball Softball Confederation

Headquartered in Pully, Switzerland -- adjacent to Lausanne, the Olympic Capital -- the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the world governing body for baseball and softball. The WBSC has 210 National Federation and Associate Members in 138 countries and territories across Asia, Africa, Americas, Europe and Oceania, which represent a united baseball/softball sports movement that encompasses over 65 million athletes and attracts approximately 150 million fans to stadiums worldwide annually.

The WBSC governs all international competitions involving official National Teams. The WBSC oversees the Premier12, the World Baseball Classic and Baseball World Cups (U-12, U-15, U-18, U-23 and Women's), Softball World Cups, (U-12 Mixed, U-15 Women's, U-18 Women's, U-18 Men's, U-23 Men's, Women's and Men's), and official disciplines Baseball5 (Senior and Youth World Cups) and E-Sports as well as Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 events at the Olympic Games.

For more information, visit www.wbsc.org, which is available in six languages: English, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.

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