South Korea Hopes To Capitalize On 18U Baseball World Championhip

South Korea views an upcoming world youth baseball championship on home soil "as an opportunity to further promote the country's prowess in the sport," according to YONHAP. The country will host for the first time the 18U Baseball World Championship, organized by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8. All matches will be located in Seoul at the Jamsil and Mokdong Stadiums. South Korea has been paired with the U.S., Venezuela, the Netherlands, Australia and Colombia in Group A. Group B includes defending champion Chinese Taipei, Canada, Panama, the Czech Republic, Italy and Japan. After round-robin play, the top three countries from each group will advance to the second round (YONHAP, 8/20).