2022 KBO season to proceed without break during Asian Games

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- The top South Korean professional baseball league announced Tuesday its 2022 season will not be put on hold during the Asian Games in China, with the national team expected to be made up mostly of young prospects and amateurs.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the upcoming season will open on April 2, with its 10 clubs scheduled to play 144 games apiece.

One notable absence from the calendar is the midseason break for the Sept. 10-25 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. During previous Asian Games or Olympic Games, the KBO shut down its regular season play for over two weeks, as national teams heavily featured KBO star players.

However, for the 2022 Asian Games, the KBO has decided to go in a different direction. In light of a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics in August, the KBO said it will honor the spirit of amateurism at future Olympics and Asian Games, and will place an age limit on KBO pros eligible for those national teams. The KBO will also work closely with the Korea Baseball Softball Association, the national governing body of amateur baseball, to select amateur players for those competitions.

Also for the 2022 season, the All-Star Game has been set for July 16. The past two editions of the midsummer event were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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