The World Children’s Baseball Foundation announced that the 30th edition of the World Children’s Baseball Fair will return to Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The tournament will be held from Sunday, July 28th to Monday, August 5th.
Participating countries include Australia, the People’s Republic of China, Fiji, Germany, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Federated States of Micronesia, South Africa, Thailand, the United States of America, Vietnam, and Japan.
Events will include baseball clinics, international exchange games, and international exchange experiences. The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) will send coaches to teach players the basics of the game and different baseball styles from different countries. Non-baseball activities will also be included, as participants will partake in cultural and recreational activities with local children, such as learning Japanese dancing, martial arts, and other Japanese activities.
This tournament will be the first to divide children into nine neighboring Japanese cities to participate in baseball clinics in new environments. Host cities include Onojo City, Okawa City, Buzen City, Chikushino City, Fukuchi Town, Dazaifu City, Miyama City, Nakagawa City, and Kitakyushu City. Children will stay with a host family in each city.
The WCBF was organized by Sadaharu Oh and Hank Aaron, intending to promote worldwide baseball expansion and build relationships between children of different nations, to share their love of baseball. Twenty-nine fairs later, children are continuing to benefit from the opportunity to play and learn baseball on a global scale as well as learning worldwide cultures.
Photo Credit: World Children’s Baseball Foundation
