Cuban Baseball5 team

Havana, Oct 1 (ACN) The Cuban Baseball5 team that will participate in the second World Cup revieved the Cuban flag at the Giraldo Córdoba Cardín High Performance Athletic Training School.

The tournament, where the largest Caribbean island will defend its title of world champion won two years ago in Mexico, will be held in Hong Kong from October 7 to 12 with the participation of 12 teams divided into two groups.

Cuba was placed in group A along with the teams of Chinese Taipei, Venezuela, South Africa, Lithuania, and the Hong Kong hosts, while in group B, Japan, France, Tunisia, Mexico, China, and Australia will compete.

According to the competition system, the top three finishers in each section will secure a place in the super-round for the medal race.

This Tuesday the World Baseball and Softball Confederation and the local organizing committee announced that the opening ceremony will be held one hour earlier than scheduled (18:00, local time) and the main game of the day between Hong Kong and South Africa is now scheduled for 19:30 hours.

The change was made to accommodate the attendance of important dignitaries and VIP personalities, explained the entity sponsoring the event.

The Antilleans will play against Lithuania in the opening game, scheduled for October 6 at 21:30, local time.

The team will be coached by Pablo Terry, a teacher who led the team to the top of the podium in the first version, and has eight athletes, four of each sex, including the Most Valuable Player of that event, captain Brandy Molina.

Completing the roster are also world champions Orlando Amador, Cristian Basabe, Shakira Aspiazú, and Lietis Arcia; youth universal title holders Yoel Blanco and Haila González, and national champion Yiliena Otamendez.