Today marks one year to go to the Opening Ceremony of The World Games 2025 Chengdu, China, with men's and women's softball highlighting the sports programme. Softball will be played at Sichuan Baseball-Softball-Hockey Centre located in Southern Chengdu. With the Opening Ceremony slated for 7 August, the men's softball event will open one day in advance on 6 August. The gold medal game will be played on 10 August. After two days off, the women's event will open on Wednesday 13 August, finishing on the 17th.
As part of the one-year-to-go celebrations, The World Games 2025 Chengdu revealed the slogan "Boundless Sports, Countless Wonders" and the mascots Shubao and Jinzai at a press conference on Tuesday 6 August in Beijing, China.
The designs of Shubao and Jinzai, the mascots, are inspired by the giant panda and by the golden snub-nosed monkey from Sichuan Province, where the capital city Chengdu is located. These mascots have been created to raise awareness about rare animals and biodiversity protection, aligning with TWG's commitment to environmental protection and sustainability.
Shubao, the giant panda mascot, features Chengdu's city flower, the hibiscus, in its inner ears, and Jinzai, the golden snub-nosed monkey mascot, has ears transformed from artifacts excavated from the Sanxingdui site. Their attire, woven with Shu Brocade, one of China's four famous brocades, depicts lucid waters and lush mountains, and the cultural pattern on it embodies the Sun and Immortal Birds Gold Ornament, a symbol of China's cultural heritage.
A total of eight teams will compete in each softball discipline. The top six teams in the WBSC/KONAMI Men's Softball World Ranking and the WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking at 31st December 2024 will earn an automatic berth in The World Games 2025. As hosts of the competition, China get an automatic spot for both disciplines. The final berth will be awarded by the WBSC as a wild card, no later than 31 January, 2025.
