Backed by government funding, the six-day event is hindered by sparse crowds and lack of understanding about rules, say those who turned up
A handful of fans who decided to pay to experience Baseball5 World Cup action in Hong Kong on a Friday morning said the organisers could have done a much better job promoting the event.
Roughly 10 spectators with yellow paper wristbands were spotted at the Asia’s World City Court – which can seat around 400 – when Lithuania defeated Australia 2-0 in the opening match of the penultimate day of the six-day tournament at Central Harbourfront.
Other daytime encounters on previous days have shown similar levels of attendance, according to reels posted on the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s official X (formerly known as Twitter) account. The numbers in the stands appeared to be larger during the evening matches, though it was not possible to identify the level of ticketed spectators from those posts.
Among those in the stand on Friday was Michael Holt, an expatriate who works in the city, with his wife and two children. With no concession admissions for junior spectators, the four tickets for the “pretty fast and easy to watch” action cost him HK$1,120 (US$144.15), and he said he had “no idea” how many people knew the event was happening in the city.
“We’ve got some more friends coming later today but I’m just not entirely sure about all the rules – it would have been great if there was a commentator [on site] to talk through the rules,” said the 39-year-old who has been living in Hong Kong for five years. “Can the ball go over the fence? Or what happens if it does? And maybe some rules on how people are out or in.
“I don’t know really how the game is played, and if the connection to baseball [was made clear to those of us here] on site, it would be better. It would help us understand what was going on a little bit more.”
