Organizers of the Honkbalweek Haarlem have announced that they will stop organizing the bi-annual international baseball tournament. The 29th edition would have been played in 2018. Organizers cite financial problems as main reasons for the decision. Starting in 2012 the tournament faced problems in this area and even though the economy in the Netherlands has recovered since then they didn’t see an effect during the 2016 Honkbalweek Haarlem.
Between 1961 and 2016 28 editions were organized. The Dutch national team won the tournament in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2016. Cuba and Team USA won in Haarlem five times each, the American selection of the Sullivans six times, Japan twice. In the beginning also club teams participated, since 2000 only national teams have participated.
The decision of the organizers is probably going to send shockwaves through European Baseball, as the Honkbalweek Haarlem was one of the cornerstones on the European Baseball calendar each year. The Honkbalweek Haarlem alternated with the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam every other year. The 2017 WPT takes place from July 1 to 9 at Family Stadium in Rotterdam.