Major Announcements in Tokyo, Taipei City on WBSC Premier12 Flagship Baseball Event

MEDIA ADVISORY – PRESS CONFERENCES 19 & 20 JANUARY

WBSC PREMIER 12 HOST CITIES, SECRET ‘GRAND OPENING’ LOCATION AND OFFICIAL LOGO TO BE UNVEILED

ATTENDEES:

Riccardo Fraccari, President, World Baseball Softball Confederation

Katsuhiko Kumazaki, Commissioner, Nippon Professional Baseball

Ms. Beng Choo Low, Secretary General, WBSC

Tom Peng, President, Baseball Federation of Asia

Tai-Cheng Chen, President, Chinese Taipei Baseball Association

Tokyo Special Guests:

Hiroki Kokubo, Manager, World No. 1 Samurai Japan National Baseball Team/1992 Olympic Bronze Medalist

Ms. Taeko Utsugi, ex-Manager, Japanese National Olympic Softball Team/Board Member, WBSC

Yoshinobu Suzuki, Board Member, Baseball Federation of Japan/Japanese Olympic Committee

WHAT:

World governing body WBSC and its partners will reveal a series of exciting announcements on the launching of the new WBSC Premier 12 Pro Baseball National Team World Championship, including a secret Grand Opening location, naming of host cities, presentation/video animation to unveil the Official WBSC Premier 12 Logo and outlining of the November 2015 tournament dates.

The high-ranking officials will also discuss the importance and positioning of the new quadrennial flagship event atop the WBSC international baseball tournament hierarchy – particularly as it relates to further showcasing the global game, and to supporting the supreme aim of returning baseball, in partnership with softball, to the Olympic Games – what would become the highest platform for National Baseball and Softball Teams. Officials will outline how the rolling out of the new WBSC elite baseball event could potentially serve as a direct qualifier for and promoter of the Olympic Games.

The WBSC Premier 12 tournament format and the unique qualification process that unites the Top 12 National Baseball Teams in the world will be analysed and discussed in greater detail.

Announcements to be made in Tokyo and Taipei City follow the historic Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms that have opened the possibility of new sport events, like baseball/softball – Japan’s No. 1 spectator sport – to bring added excitement to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

These highly important themes will be of special interest to media and baseball/softball’s fans, players and stakeholders worldwide.

WHEN & WHERE

Monday, 19 January at 16:00

Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa
3-13-1 Takanawa

Minato, TOKYO 108-0074
 

Tuesday, 20 January at 15:00

Mandarin Oriental Hotel
158 Dunhua North Road

TAIPEI 10548, Taiwan

All times local

RSVP: media@wbsc.org, @WBSC
 

About WBSC Premier12: The WBSC Premier12 has been designed to be a compact event (9 days of competition) that features the Top 12-ranked National Teams in the world.

The WBSC Premier12 platform will distribute US$ millions in prize money and will award the highest amount of world ranking points of any international baseball tournament.

The WBSC Premier12 will give each of the 12 qualified nation’s best players the opportunity — and the highest honour — to represent/promote their countries in international play and showcase the sport of baseball to a global audience. 

All WBSC’s baseball world championship platforms — from the U-12, U-15, U-18 and U-21 Baseball World Cups to the 2013 World Baseball Classic and sanctioned/recognised international competitions — have shaped the rankings and qualification into the 2015 WBSC Premier12.

The Top 12 nations qualified into the 2015 WBSC Premier12 are based on the 2014 end-of-the-year WBSC World Baseball Rankings.

Official Hashtag: #Premier12