Baseball, softball competitions open at National Games of China
The National Games of China, the country’s top multi-sport event with all the Olympic Games athletes representing their own respective Provinces, opened in Shaanxi Province with baseball and softball among the 409 events being staged. Both disciplines are being played at Xi’an Physical Education University.
The eight-day softball event started on 3 September with eight participating teams including Beijing, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Henan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Shaanxi.The eight teams will play a round robin, and a double-page playoff at the second phase. A total of 26 games will be played, with the gold medal game scheduled for 10 September.
The baseball competition opened on 4 September with nine participating teams: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hong Kong and Tianjin Institute of Physical Education. The gold medal game will be played on September 12.
It is the 14th edition of the National Games of China, which are held every four years, dating back to 1959. The next National Games will be co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau in 2025.
China is currently ranked 20th in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings and 7th in the WBSC Women's Softball World Rankings.