Press release World Baseball Softball Confederation
PHOENIX (AZ), USA — The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), together with host USA Baseball, announced the postponing of the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualification Event for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020 due to player, personnel and spectator health and safety measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus.
The Americas qualifier was set to place in Surprise and Tempe, Arizona, from 22-26 March. After consulting with medical and governmental authorities, a joint decision by the WBSC and the Local Organising Committee was taken to postpone the event.
New dates for the America’s Qualifier in Arizona will be announced in due course.
The eight national teams set to compete in the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier include host USA, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
The winner from the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier will earn a berth into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, while the second- and third-place finishers will have a second chance to qualify for Tokyo 2020 at the Final Qualifier in Taichung and Douliu, TPE, which has been rescheduled from 1-5 April to 17-21 June due to the coronavirus.
The winner of the Final qualifier will earn the sixth and final berth into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic baseball tournament.
Four nations have already qualified for baseball at the 2020 Olympics: host Japan, Israel, Korea and Mexico.