#ICYMI: Baseball Returns to Florida; Rosario 2019 Inspections; IPC Hotels

(ATR) #ICYMI -- In Case You Missed It ... Sometimes the best stories don't get the attention we think they deserve. Here are our staff picks for articles this week they really want you to know about.

Baseball U18 World Cup Returns to United States

The U-18 Baseball World Cup will return to the United States in 2021 for the first time in over 20 years, as the sport works to re-enter the Olympic program.

Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida will host the event, which organizers billed as a "scout’s dream," gathering the world’s best youth baseball prospects. The U.S. last hosted the event in 1995.

Both facilities host Major League Baseball teams during their pre-season Spring Training, and minor league teams throughout the year.

Baseball/softball was recently left off the shortlist for additional sports for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. World Baseball Softball Confederation President Riccardo Fraccari then met with IOC President Thomas Bach to discuss the future of the disciplines and the Olympics.

The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, one of the largest baseball markets in the United States. The 2028 Games also represent the next chance after Tokyo 2020 for baseball/softball to return to the Olympics while lobbying for permanent inclusion. The U18 World Cup will be the first major event the U.S. hosts post-Tokyo 2020, a clear showcase of baseball to LA 2028 organizers.

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Rosario 2019: la Playa empieza en la Calle

Salvando distancias, los IV Juegos Suramericanos de Playa en Rosario tendrán su "aire" como los de Buenos Aires con sus Olímpicos de la Juventud:la ceremonia de inauguración será popular.

Dentro de nueve días la alegría de la apertura de los Juegos rosarinos invadirá las calles.

Unos 2.000 deportistas se mezclarán con miles de personas que confluirán en el Monumento Nacional a la Bandera, un lugar emblemático donde el general Manuel Belgrano enarboló por primera vez el lábaro argentino, a orillas del río Paraná.

La escena podría hacer recordar en algún momento la inédita fiesta callejera, fuera del estadio, de la Avenida 9 de Julio cinco meses atrás.

Por primera vez una "ciudad con río" o "o sin mar" como quiera decirse, será la sede de estos Juegos.

La competición se realizará del 14 al 23 de marzo y contará con atletas de 14 paises, disputando 24 pruebas de 13 modalidades deportivas.

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IPC Accepts Tokyo Hotel Situation

The International Paralympic Committee says it is pleased with preparations for the 2020 Paralympics, but it is "unlikely" there will be enough accessible hotel rooms in Tokyo.

Tokyo 2020 and the IPC wrapped up a project review this week, which National Paralympic Committees from Canada, Great Britain, and Japan attended.

Craig Spence, IPC Communications and Marketing Manager, said that "a lot of fantastic work is going on" for the 2020 Paralympics, but "the Organizing Committee should be under no illusions that the hard work really does begin now".

The first Paralympic test event will be held this Summer, and NPCs rated the accessibility of the Paralympic Village highly. While feedback has been positive, Spence said that NPCs used the project review to express concern about accessibility at Paralympic venues, the satellite village in Izu for cycling, and at test events to "showcase Japan in the best possible light to visitors next summer and beyond".

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has taken steps to broaden legislation to compel hotels to expand the number of accessible hotel rooms in both existing and new buildings. This has mitigated the upcoming situation, but has left the city "hundreds" of rooms short by the TMG’s own estimate.

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