Youth invitational tournament hits a home run

The 2025 Youth Public Welfare Annual Cup Greater Bay Area Baseball and Softball Invitational Tournament kicked off on Sunday in Xiaolan town in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, attracting over 350 players across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Since its inception in 2020, the tournament has been held in Zhongshan and Shenzhen of Guangdong province and Hong Kong.

The tournament aims to foster deeper exchanges and holistic development among youth through sports. Over the past six years, 47 teams and more than 3,000 young athletes have participated in the event.

Zhongshan holds a special place in China's baseball history as the hometown of Liang Fuchu, a pivotal figure who introduced baseball to the country in the early 20th century and is widely revered as the father of baseball in China.

Liang Rongji, a baseball coach from Zhongshan, shared his thoughts: "The scale and influence of the invitational continue to expand. We greatly value this opportunity to compete and look forward to exchanging ideas and growing with other teams."

Feng Xiaolong, a council member of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and chairman of Guangdong Panda Sports Culture Industry Co Ltd, expressed his aspirations for the tournament: "We hope to further develop this invitational into a dynamic platform for youth sports and cultural exchange. By doing so, baseball and softball can serve as a powerful bond connecting youth of the Greater Bay Area, deepening their interactions and fostering greater unity."