Little League Asia-Pacific Tournament finals kick off in HK

HONG KONG, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The finals of the Little League Asia-Pacific Tournament kicked off at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on Saturday, with Chinese Hong Kong beating South Korea 2-1and Indonesia defeating Australia 3-2.

A total of 12 teams, from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Australia, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Indonesia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, India and the Philippines, are competing in the five-day tournament running from Saturday through Thursday.

The winner of the tournament will be qualified to compete in the Little League Series in Pennsylvania, the United States later this summer.

The Little League is a non-profit organization with the objective of promoting health and integrity among the young by organizing baseball events.

Rick Dell, director of baseball development for Asia of the Major League, said he was impressed by the reception of baseball among the young in Hong Kong.

"I think they are going to be competitive in this tournament," he said.

Progress has also been seen in the development of baseball in the Chinese mainland, and the hosting of the Olympics will also help promote baseball, he said.