Persistent rain Sunday forced the cancellation of the men's softball final at the Chengdu World Games, leaving the United States and Japan to share the gold medal.

The U.S. and Japan swept past their opponents to set up a final clash.

"It's no big deal to share the championship with Japan," U.S. captain Shaw Zachary said. "We are a great team with many great players. We did really well in this tournament, overcame a lot of challenges from the start, and played excellent on both offense and defense."

Japan's Seii Kuroiwa called the cancellation rare but unavoidable.

"Weather is something we can't control. It's a pity we couldn't play today, but I hope we can face the U.S. on the field in the near future," he said.

Venezuela and Canada, who were set to meet in the bronze medal game, shared the bronze.

The women's softball competition begins Wednesday, with China facing the Netherlands in their opening group-stage game.