Fans at next month’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) are to see two versions, depending whether the games are in Taiwan or the US, or in Japan.
In Taiwan and the US, fans can cheer and need not wear masks. Taiwan dropped most of its mask mandates on Monday.
For Japan, it is slightly more complicated as COVID-19 pandemic rules are changing more slowly. Cheering will be allowed, but masks must be worn at the Tokyo Dome.
Photo: AP
The first three days of play in the WBC are March 8 to 10 in Taiwan and Japan. Play begins on March 11 at the two US sites in Miami and Phoenix, Arizona.
The tournament, featuring 20 national teams, ends on March 21 in Miami. The powers from Asia will be Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia.
Latin America will feature the largest contingent with Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama and Nicaragua. The US and Canada have also entered strong teams.
After almost three years of strict COVID-19 rules, traditional cheering returned this week during pre-season games for Nippon Professional Baseball. That included the drum-beating, trumpet-playing and constant singing that characterizes the game in Japan.
The Japan national team training for the WBC are to play warm-up games this weekend and avid cheering would also be encouraged, but masks must still be worn.
“I expect a situation where fans will be able to cheer while wearing masks,” Nippon Professional Baseball general secretary Atsushi Ihara told Japan’s Kyodo News.
He was speaking about the upcoming Japanese season.
The Japanese government is expected to relax the mask guidelines on March 13, leaving many mask-wearing choices up to the individual.
WBC play in Japan ends on March 16, but the policy change is not expected to touch the tournament with masks still being worn.
The government policy announced on March 13 would still recommend mask-wearing for crowded indoor settings — WBC venue the Tokyo Dome is indoors — trains and hospitals.
Businesses would also be allowed to ask customers to wear masks.
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