The 1997 IBAF Intercontinental Cup was held in Barcelona, Spain from August 1 through to August 10, 1997. Eight countries contested the tournament including Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, United States of America and the host Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation

International Baseball Federation

The International Baseball Federation is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing, deciding and executing the policy of the bat-and-ball sport of baseball at the international level...

.

The tournament saw the Japan national baseball team

Japan national baseball team

The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...

 stun the Cuba national baseball team

Cuba national baseball team

The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...

 in the final, 11-2, ending a 14 year tournament dominance which included 7 tournament golds. The tournament MVP was Australia's Paul Gonzalez

Paul Gonzalez

Paul Gonzalez is the general manager of the Brisbane Bandits and former Australian third baseman...

All-Star team

• C: Gary White, Australia (.351/.368/.622)
• 1B: Orestes Kindelán
  Orestes Kindelán
  Orestes Kindelán Olivares is the most prolific home run hitter in the history of post-revolutionary Cuban baseball, well known as "El Cañon de Dos Rios" and one of the offensive stars of the Cuban national baseball team, which won numerous World Cups and two Olympic gold medals during his tenure...
  
  , Cuba .344/.417/.938, 6 HR, 10 R, 15 RBI)
• 2B: Yosuke Takasu
  Yosuke Takasu
  is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Pacific League.-External links:...
  
  , Japan (.429/.478/.524)
• SS: Omar Linares
  Omar Linares
  Omar Linares Izquierdo is a former Cuban baseball player. Linares, who played third base for the Cuban national team and for Pinar del Río and Vegueros in the Cuban National Series wearing the number 10 on his jersey, is considered one of the greatest Cuban players of all time...
  
  , Cuba (.367/.444/.633, 9 RBI)
• 3B: Paul Gonzalez
  Paul Gonzalez
  Paul Gonzalez is the general manager of the Brisbane Bandits and former Australian third baseman...
  
  , Australia (.571/.684/1.25, 5 HR, 9 BB, 8 R, 18 RBI)
• OF: Luis Ulacia
  Luis Ulacia
  Luis Ulacia Álvarez is a Cuban baseball player and Olympic gold and silver medalist....
  
  , Cuba (.343/.400/.514, 10 R, 3 SB)
• OF: Yoshinobu Takahashi
  Yoshinobu Takahashi
  Yoshinobu Takahashi is a Japanese professional baseball player from Chiba, Japan. He currently plays right field for the Yomiuri Giants, and is one of the most well-known players in Japanese baseball. He graduated from Keio University.A superb contact hitter, he is also known for his exemplary...
  
  , Japan (.419/.513/1.032, 3 3B, 4 HR, 7 BB, 13 R, 16 RBI)
• OF: Chris Magruder
  Chris Magruder
  Christopher James Magruder is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers....
  
  , USA (.343/.412/.400, 8 R)
• DH: Greg Jelks
  Greg Jelks
  Gregory Dion Jelks , is a former American Australian baseballer who played with the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent the majority of his career in the minor leagues, and is most notable playing with the Australia national baseball team and the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball...
  
  , Australia (.471/.538/1.088, 6 HR, 10 R, 12 RBI)
• P: Koji Uehara
  Koji Uehara
  is a Major League Baseball Japanese right-handed relief pitcher. He is currently a relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers.Uehara throws a high-80s four-seam fastball and a solid forkball as his primary pitches...
  
  , Japan (2-0, 0.53)
• P: Akio Shimizu, Japan (2-0, 1.64)