Canada has named a 24-member men's baseball team for Beijing Olympics, which is confident to win a medal after finishing fourth at Athens four years ago.
The team is comprised of six players having attended the 2004 Games and also some young players who have seldom played at international matches.
Stubby Clapp, considered Canada's most popular and scrappiest Olympic baseball player, is among the returnees from the 2004 Games to the latest Olympic edition of the team.
Terry Puhl, a veteran major leaguer of 15 seasons, returns as manager of Team Canada and has high hopes for his team.
"We have a very good mix of experience and youth on this ball club," Puhl said in a statement Thursday. "The World Cup and qualifiers gave our younger guys some invaluable international experience and I believe that this team is more than capable of winning a medal (at the Olympics)."
The team will meet in Toronto on July 28 to begin its Olympic training camp before it takes on the United States in an Olympic tune-up series in North Carolina from Aug. 1-4. Canada will then face the Netherlands in Beijing for their final two exhibition games before the Olympic competitions kick off.
Canada will open their campaign of Olympics on Aug. 13 against China. The rest of the field includes the United States, the Netherlands, Cuba, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea.
Source: Xinhua
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