The final Olympic softball qualifier is set to kick off in Shanghai, China on September 24th. Six teams from the continent of Asia and two teams from Oceania will compete for the sixth and final berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Three teams in the top ten in the 2018 WBSC international rankings are competing in Shanghai. Sixth-ranked Chinese Taipei is the highest-ranked team in the field, followed closely by #7 Australia and #8 China. Other participating teams in the qualifier include #11 New Zealand; #13 Philippines; #23 South Korea; #37 Indonesia; and #42 Hong Kong.
A pair of countries that sponsored teams in National Pro Fastpitch during the league’s 2019 summer season will compete in this qualifier. China and Australia fielded teams in the league as a method of preparation for the international competition.
China and Australia have appeared in each edition of the Olympic Games in which softball has appeared; the Chinese squad earned the silver medal in 1996, while Australia has reached the medal stand four times in as many Olympic appearances. Chinese Taipei has appeared three times in the Olympics, while the New Zealand team appeared in the 2000 Games.
Former Auburn assistant coach Corey Myers – who departed the Tigers amidst heavy controversy in 2017 – leads the Chinese squad. He is expected to be assisted by a group of coaches that includes Hunter Veach, who served as head coach of the Chinese-sponsored NPF franchise in 2019 and was on staff with Myers at Auburn.
““Besides having had a great preparation playing all over the world against tops teams including playing in the League in the States, I am confident we will book the last ticket to the Olympics,” Myers said in the introductory press conference on Monday. “But really, our team has worked very hard, just as all the teams have, but I believe our team has what it takes to finish tops.”
The opening round of the qualifier will stretch from September 24th-26th; each team will play one game per day against opponents from their respective pool of teams. Pools were determined by random draw at WBSC headquarters earlier in the summer. Two teams with the best records from each pool will advance to the Super Round that will take place on the 27th and 28th; the team with the best record following the Super Round will punch their ticket to Tokyo in 2020.
Notably, both teams from Oceania include several long-time international stars; Australian veterans like Stacey Porter and Kaia Parnaby will look to lead their country back to the Olympics, while long-time Kiwi stalwarts like Lara Andrews will look to guide New Zealand to an upset victory.
Filipino head coach Venerando Dizer will look to lead his team to the Olympic Games for the first time. ““Softball is back in Olympics and we want to be there for the first time,” Dizer said. “We have come here fully prepared and I believe playing against men teams has made the team well prepared for the challenge here.”
Live-streaming of games can be found on the WBSC Youtube Channel.
The team that emerges victorious from Shanghai will join five teams that have already clinched Olympic berths. That group includes Canada; Italy; Japan; Mexico; and the United States.
