Taiwan to host 2027 WBSC Premier12, LA28 Olympic baseball qualifier

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) Taiwan will host the group stage and Super Round of the 2027 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Baseball Final Qualifier, the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) announced Friday.

The announcement came after CTBA President Jeffrey Koo Jr. (辜仲諒) visited Shanghai and met with WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari and Executive Director Michael Schmidt on Thursday.

At the meeting, Koo presented Taiwan's bid to host the two tournaments and ultimately received Fraccari's approval.

Koo said he was pleased to accomplish the mission and hoped that hosting two top-tier international tournaments would unite the nation and allow Taiwan's baseball to continue shining on the world stage.

He also said that he looks forward to seeing Team Taiwan in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Three remaining spots in the 2028 Summer Olympics will be decided through the 2027 WBSC Premier12 and the Final Qualification Event.

Taiwan can qualify directly by finishing as the highest-ranked Asian team at the 2027 Premier12. If it fails to do so, it will have another opportunity to earn a berth by winning the final qualification tournament.

Rakuten Monkeys manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒), who led Team Taiwan to its 2024 Premier12 title, said playing at home would give the team an advantage.

"The players are more comfortable in a familiar environment, and the support of home fans is the biggest source of motivation," Tseng said.

However, he acknowledged that hosting also brings added pressure because of heightened expectations from fans.

Since everyone is aiming for good results, the most important thing for the team is to perform as it hopes to and stay composed, the coach said.

Tseng also noted that, unlike the World Baseball Classic, the Olympic baseball tournament is held in the middle of the professional season, making player selection more difficult.

However, he said there is a possibility that Major League Baseball will release their players to participate in the 2028 Olympics, which would raise the level of competition.

"It will also have a major impact on how we build our roster," Tseng said.

Since hosting the inaugural WBSC Premier12 in 2015, Taiwan has hosted group-stage games of every edition of the tournament. Plus, Taiwan also hosted the 2008 Final Qualifier of the Olympics.