Areial photo taken on March 23, 2022, shows a view of Shaoxing Baseball & Softball Sports Centre, which will host the 2024 WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup in Shaoxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Xinhua via Getty Images)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The World Baseball Softball Confederation announced that the Shaoxing Baseball Softball Sports Culture Center will host the fifth U-23 Baseball World Cup, which will be the first WBSC baseball event to be hosted in China, in 2024.
The Chinese Baseball Association, which is the Chinese baseball federation governing body earned the hosting rights for the U-23 Baseball World Cup. The Shaoxing Baseball Softball Sports Culture Center is China’s largest top-notch baseball facility in the country.
The main stadium holds 5,000 people and can have an additional 5,000 temporary seats added. The second field at the complex seats up to 1,500 seats and can add 1,000 temporary seats.
Last year, the complex was slated to host the XIX Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 baseball and softball competitions, but the games were postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
According to the press release of the WBSC, “the training center includes a five-star hotel managed by Shoulv Nanyuan Hotel Group holding 275 rooms, 2,000 dining seats, a 900 square meter banquet hall, theme restaurants, and various conference rooms.”
The 12-nation event will be centered on the complex, and athletes will not have to leave the premises.
All WBSC sectors will participate in the U-23 Baseball World Cup, with the Africa sector sending one team, the Americas sector will send four, the Asia sector will send three, the Europe sector will send two, the Oceania sector will send one team, and China will appear as the host nation.
Most nations will bring players that are in their respective countries’ professional minor leagues, and some of the countries in the WBSC Americas sector will bring players from low minor league affiliates of Major League Baseball organizations.
Japan won the 2022 U-23 World Cup last October in Taiwan for their nation’s second title at the event.
The dates of the tournament have yet to be announced by the WBSC.