LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The World Baseball Softball Confederation today unveiled the new official emblem and qualified nations for the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup® 2017.

The fourth edition of the U-12 youth world championship -- which is baseball's highest level of competition for 11- and 12-year-old players -- will be staged in Tainan, Taiwan, from 28 July to 6 August.

The 12 nations that will battle For the Title of World Champion in Tainan are as follows and feature a global footprint that spans across six continents:

• Africa (1): No. 28 South Africa
• Americas - North and South America (4): No. 2 United States, No. 6 Mexico, No. 16 Nicaragua, No. 17 Brazil
• Asia (3): No. 1 Japan, No. 3 Korea, No. 4 Chinese Taipei
• Europe (2): No. 14 Czech Republic, No. 20 Germany
• Oceania (1): No. 10 Australia
• Wild Card (1): No. 15 Panama

WBSC has assigned a wild-card berth to the nation of Panama after the Central American nation finished in 5th Place at the Pan Am U-12 Championship 2016, where the top four finishers qualified for the U-12 Baseball World Cup 2017.

 

"Congratulations to this global group of nations for advancing to the IV U-12 Baseball World Cup, and congratulations to the young athletes who, through their performance at the continental championships, have put their countries in this position," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "The U-12 Baseball World Cup 2017 promises to showcase the global spread, youth appeal, national pride and excitement associated with our sport -- key elements in our drive to earn a long-term place at the Olympic Games."

The Final of the III U-12 Baseball World Cup in 2015, won by the United States, sold out the 11,000-seat Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium, home of the club Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).

 

Highlights: WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup 2015 - Final

As an official world championship, the winning nation of the U-12 Baseball World Cup will be awarded 345 world ranking points.

The new visual identity of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup features a young batter on top of the baseball world, ready to represent his nation and his sport. A youthful, high-energy colour palate and green "U-12" word mark were selected to reflect the bright future of the sport, while the figurine's legs were inspired by the number 12.

The Baseball World Cup suite of logos (U-12, U-15, U-18, U-23, Women's and PREMIER12®) were designed by leading international sports branding agency, Leeds, UK-based The Works, who have also rolled out the Official Looks of top sports properties from international sports organisations such as FIFA, FIVB and UEFA.

The Official Look and trophy/medals designs -- as well as broadcast and live-streaming details -- of the U-12 Baseball World Cup 2017 will be revealed in the coming weeks.

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