Tainan’s Elementary Schools open doors for WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup teams

The WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup 2025 presented by RAXUS  finished on August 3 with USA claiming their third successive title. Despite the inclement weather throughout the tournament, the young participating athletes had a great time both on and off the field.

One key initiative saw the Tainan City Government, as the host city, arrange for 12 local elementary schools to accommodate the visiting athletes.

These schools were: Ancing Elementary School, Chongsyue Elementary School, Denan Elementary School, Gueinan Elementary School, Koupi Experimental Elementary School, Liren Elementary School, Shanshang Elementary School, Sun Haw Montessori Elementary School, Shanhua Elementary School, Sing-gong Elementary School, Wenhe Experimental Elementary School, and Wunyuan Elementary School.

To be chosen as one of the accommodating schools, candidates had to submit a proposal for the cultural exchange activity they planned to host on the tournament’s rest day (which eventually included some WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup 2025 games due to weather delays). The Tainan City Government reviewed and evaluated the proposals before making a decision.

One of the accommodating schools this year, Shanshang Elementary School, had previously hosted Team Panama two years ago and applied again this year thanks to the strong passion and support from the principal, faculty, and staff.

“Team Czechia came to our school to interact with our students,” said Keng-Yi Su, Principal of Shanshang Elementary School. “We took them to make pineapple cakes, taught them how to play diabolo, and introduced them to some nearby temples.”

During the Placement Round game between Australia and Czechia on July 31, the pineapple cakes were shared with the crowd and with the parents of both teams.

For kids in this age group, speaking the same language isn’t a must when it comes to making friends, and hands-on activities are a great way to bond and connect.

“I asked our students if they had any trouble communicating with the Czech kids,” Su said. “They told me they used body language and convenient technologies.”

Whenever the weather allowed, students and faculty from Shanshang Elementary School came to the stadium to cheer for Czechia.

“I like baseball,” said Pin-Chen Lin, a student at Shanshang Elementary School, who came to the stadium to root for Czechia every day. “When I heard the country name, Czechia, I thought it sounded cool. We took pictures, played, and chatted. Simple things like paper, scissors, stone, and we asked each other our names, heights, and weights.”

The rest day was originally set aside for cultural exchange, but due to bad weather during the Opening Round, four teams had to play makeup games.

“We planned to take Team Cuba to Taijiang Fishing Park,” said Shih-Chang Lin, Chief of Physical Education at Sing-gong Elementary School. “They were going to ride bamboo rafts to see mangroves, learn about traditional fishing, and enjoy local cuisine, but we couldn’t do any of that because they had to play.”

Even though the original plans had to be canceled, schools still made sure to welcome the teams warmly. Faculty and students at Sing-gong Elementary School prepared a gift bag of snacks and a commemorative photo album featuring pictures of Team Cuba’s games and interactions.

“Watching their games amazed me,” said Sheng-Ta Tang, captain of the Sing-gong Elementary School baseball team. “They throw speedy fastballs.”

Whether or not the students were baseball players themselves, they all learned something and made new friends through these cultural exchange events. For the visiting athletes, it was also a chance to connect with local kids and make unforgettable memories, both on and off the field.