 Bologna to participate in Asia Series
Nederlands
 TAIPEI CITY (Taiwan) -
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced that the Asia Series will expand this coming November to include the club champion of Europe.
The Asia Series is played annually with participation of the professional champions of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia and China.
These champions will now be joined next month by Unipol Fortitudo Bologna from Italy, which has won the European Champions Cup.
And so, Bologna will write history, as it becomes the first European club to participate in this prestigious event.
The Asia Series Executive Committee approved expanding the competition to include the winner of the annual European Cup.
On August 2, Bologna won the European Champions Cup when it beat Telemarket Rimini (also from Italy) 2-1 in the second game of the best-of-three final.
The day before, Bologna had won the opener, 10-0.
In June, Bologna won the Qualifying Tournament in Regensburg (Germany).
In the final, Bologna won 7-6 vs. T&A San Marino (San Marino).
Also participating in that event were L&D Amsterdam Pirates (Netherlands), KRC Eagles Prague (Czech Republic), Buchbinder Legionäre (Germany) and Bern Cardinals (Switzerland).
Rimini won the Qualifying Tournament in Barcelona (Spain) by defeating Dutch champion Corendon Kinheim 6-2 in the final.
Other participants were Draci Brno (Czech Republic), CB Barcelona (Spain), Paderborn Untouchables (Germany) and Rouen Huskies (France).
Asian executives cites the accelerating global growth of baseball and the increasing competitive levels in Europe in top-tier international competitions, among the motives for the expansion.
With the inclusion of an European team in the Asia Series, the European Cup Tournaments gained in importance, as the winner will travel to Asia later in the year.
...WBSC Co-President Riccardo Fraccari...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Riccardo Fraccari, the Co-President of the WBSC, stated:
,,Having a European team in the 2013 Asia Series is a historic landmark that further validates not only our sport's continued rise in Europe, but also the worldwide development and appeal of baseball as a whole.
The inclusion of Europe will enrich the Asia Series and further its reach strategically.
The WBSC fully shares this vision of a unifying 'Worldwide Series' and endorses this new pathway for European clubs to be included in an elite international competition like the Asia Series.
This platform will provide ballplayers in Europe with an exciting new opportunity to showcase their talents, while further increasing interest in and exposure to European baseball in key regions and markets - and in Europe itself - which will ultimately add values across the board for European clubs, leagues and National Federations moving forward.''
Since the beginning, the Asia Series have been dominated by teams from the Japanese NPB.
Last year, Yomiuri Giants won the Asian title.
In 2011, Samsung Lions from Korea ended a winning streak of four Japanese titles.
In 2005, Chiba Lotte Marines win the first Asia Series.
In the following years, the NPB's Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Chunichi Dragons and Saitama Seibu Lions captured the title.
After the Asia Series was not played in 2009 and 2010, it returned on the agenda in 2011 with the Korean Lions winning the championship.
Last year, the title returned to Japan when the Giants won.
The seventh edition of the Asia Series will be played November 15-20 in Taichung (Taiwan).
In the coming weeks, the championships will be decided in Nippon Professional Baseball (Japan), Korea Baseball Organization and Chinese Professional Baseball League (Taiwan).
Canberra Cavalry represents the Australian Baseball League as its champion of the 2012-2013 season.
As organizing country, Taiwan will participate with two teams.
In the first four editions (2005-2008) of the Asia Series, which were held in Japan, the champions of Japan, Taiwan, Korea and China participated.
In 2011, when the fifth edition was held in Taiwan,, the Australian champion participated for the first time.
The champion of the China Baseball League didn't participate in 2011, but returned last year when the event was staged in Korea.
(October 3)
|
