Prince George to host WORLD BASEBALL CHALLENGE July, 2009

BASEBALL, INTERNATIONAL STYLE

July 23, 2007

It is with tremendous excitement that it is announced today that fabulous Prince George Citizen Field will be the site of the WORLD BASEBALL CHALLENGE - set for July 21-26, 2009. Two years from today, the best international baseball players outside professional baseball will grace this city with their world-class talents.

This international event was first held in 2002 in Grand Forks, British Columbia, brought to fruition by legendary baseball man Larry Seminoff, who has been the key figure behind moving the event to the fabulous new facility in Prince George. The original WORLD BASEBALL CHALLENGE featured national teams such as Cuba, Taiwan, Samoa, Canada, Dominican Republic, United States and Russia, along with the top semi-pro and amateur teams across North America. One of the invitations went out to the Prince George Panago Axemen, who took to the field in pool play in the inaugural WBC against the Seattle Studs, Houston Sheraton Astros and Chicago Prairie Gravel, teams boasting former professional players and NCAA college standouts.

"This will be the highest level of baseball ever played in Prince George, and the goal is to hold this tournament every two years beginning in 2009," said tournament chairman Jim Swanson, whose previous involvement in local baseball events includes the successful 2002 Baseball Canada Senior Championship, held at the now-demolished Monty Gabriele Park.

"There is a void in international baseball for events like this in non-Olympic years, and Prince George has a chance to make an international name for itself as a premiere tournament venue. With the facilities we have here - Citizen Field and adjacent Rotary Park - we have a tournament setup like no other place in Canada, two parks with quality playing surfaces and lights sitting side-by-side. If not for the support of Mayor Colin Kinsley and the City of Prince George, and the support of the business community in partnering with tournaments of all kinds, people in our city could not dream of shooting for the stars like we are here with the WORLD BASEBALL CHALLENGE.

"We particularly appreciate the support of Mr. Seminoff, Baseball Canada and Baseball BC, integral partnerships to bringing us to where we are today in announcing the WBC."

For 2009, the tournament will be a five-team affair, each team playing in a round-robin format with the first game on Tuesday, July 21. The top four teams would advance to Sunday semifinals, with the final later that day. All games will be played at Prince George Citizen Field. Invitations have gone out to six countries at this point, and the roster of teams will be unveiled in the coming months. The Axemen will be the host team, taking one of the five places and giving products of the local baseball programs, including the Prince George Senior Baseball League, BID Construction Grays and Prince George Youth Baseball, an opportunity to experience baseball at this level. Ray Carter, the president of Baseball Canada, has already committed to having Team Canada involved. Rob Arnold, the executive director for Baseball BC, has also lent his endorsement. The provisional manager for Team Canada is David Laing, the program director for Baseball BC and an elite coach at the national level, and he was a player/coach for the Axemen at the 2002 WBC.

Attached are statements from Mr. Carter and Mr. Seminoff, who regret they could not be at Prince George Citizen Field for this announcement.

Mr. Carter and Baseball Canada have endorsed the WORLD BASEBALL CHALLENGE, and Mr. Laing and Baseball BC have done the same. Major sponsors have already come on board - Publisher Del Laverdure at The Prince George Citizen, General Manager Ken Kilcullen and the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group (PGTV, 99.3 The Drive, 101.3 The River), General Manager Ken Antonenko of Prince George Motors, Brian Fehr and BID Construction, and Andrea Rosa of Splash Media Group. Other valuable assistance to make today's announcement comes from President Dave Barry and the Prince George Senior Baseball League, Virginia Sprangers and the staff of Initiatives Prince George, and Tom Madden of the City of Prince George Leisure Services department. A marketing team is in place, and members will be contacting local businesses to allow them to be involved in this top-level baseball event.

Future announcements will unveil the complete tournament committee; the confirmation of teams for the five-team tournament, and the full schedule; ticket package information; and the marketing strategy. Many of the same successful initiatives from the 2002 Baseball Canada Senior Championship will be activated again - such as using UNBC housing for team accommodations; holding a home run derby to showcase the tremendous power of the players; and carefully planning expanded seating at Prince George Citizen Field so fans can have the best viewpoint possible for game action.

For further resources, including contact information, visit the website below.

www.BallCharts.com/worldbaseball