Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) Defending champion Cuba and host Taiwan are among 10 teams that will battle it out in the 2010 Intercontinental Cup baseball tournament, which opens Saturday in Taichung City.
Cuba, Taiwan, South Korea, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Thailand, Italy and Nicaragua will compete in the IBAF (International Baseball Federation) tournament, which will be played at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium until Oct. 31.
Cuba, which has won 10 of the past 16 Intercontinental Cups, enters the competition as one of the favorites. It will be joined by Taiwan, South Korea, Czech and Hong Kong in one of the two round-robin groups.
Taiwan, which also hosted the tournament the last time it was played in 2006, is scheduled to meet perennial rival South Korea in the opening game Oct. 23.
Kuo Hong-chih, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Taiwanese pitcher, will throw out the ceremonial first ball.
Japan, the Netherlands, Thailand, Italy and Nicaragua are in the other preliminary group.
Taiwan finished third in the 2006 tournament, matching its best previous showing in the tournament, a bronze medal performance in 1983. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls