Seven nations compete in Pangaea Cup

Five Philippine teams are entered to compete against 15 foreign teams in the upcoming Pangaea Cup VI International Slo-pitch Softball Tournament. The biggest slo-pitch tournament in Asia takes place beginning Friday in three venues -- the Manila Polo Club, the Seafront Compound in Pasay, and the Alabang Country Club.

Twenty teams in all will play in this year's Pangaea Cup, representing Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and the Philippines. Defending champions are Taiwan Landmark Nike.

The 10 strongest, semi-pro teams will compete for the Pangaea Cup trophy, which is returned each year by the defending champion. The other 10 teams will play for the championship of the Club League.

McDonald's is sponsoring one team in each group, the McDonald's Philippine All-Stars, and the McDonald's MSSL team. Other entries from the Philippines are Michael Yulo's Canlubang Barons, Cebuana Lhuillier of Jean Henri Lhuillier, and the American Eye Center.

Opening ceremonies with the turnover of the cup will be held at the Alabang Country Club on Friday morning, with the championship games and final awards to take place at Alabang on Sunday afternoon.