Lausanne, Switzerland, March 13, 2020: Softball will kick off the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with an opening game between Japan and Australian in Fukushima – two days before the July 24 opening ceremony.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation and Tokyo 2020 organisers on March 12 revealed the official Olympic softball game schedule, which will open on July 22 at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium and close with the gold medal game on July 28 at Yokohama Baseball Stadium.
Australia and defending Olympic softball champions Japan will kick off the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on July 22 at 9 am local time. This match will serve as the very first official Olympic competition of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
In Game 2, Italy and top-ranked USA will meet at 12 noon. Game 3, which concludes the first day of competition, features Mexico and Canada at 3 pm.
The first six games of the Olympic softball competition will be played in Fukushima, a region that has been undergoing a continued regeneration following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
“We are humbled and honoured that softball will open the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and do so in a city that embodies, more than any other, sport’s unique power to unite and rebuild communities. This will send a powerful message of Olympic values to all spectators around the world,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.
All six softball teams -- Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico and USA -- will play each other once in a round-robin format from July 22-27. The top two teams will play for gold, while the third- and fourth- place teams will compete for bronze.
The final three days (July 25-27) of the round-robin will be played at Yokohama Baseball Stadium, where the medal matches will also take place.
The gold medal game will be played on Tuesday, July 28, at 8 pm, while the bronze medal game will be held at 1 pm JST.
Source: www.wbsc.org
