Puerto Rico Baseball Federation and VIRTUS join forces to launch inclusive Baseball5 pathway for athletes with intellectual impairments

The Baseball Federation of Puerto Rico (FBPR) and VIRTUS Puerto Rico have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and institutionalise inclusive Baseball5 programmes for athletes with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, and autism.

The partnership establishes a structured pathway that will introduce athletes to organised Baseball5 competition while creating opportunities for education, community engagement and high-performance development aligned with international standards.

The initiative represents a significant step in expanding access to the fast-growing, five-on-five urban discipline of Baseball/Softball and reinforces the global movement towards greater inclusion in sport.

Under the agreement:

• FBPR will integrate inclusive Baseball5 into its national structure, offering technical resources, coaching expertise, facilities and competition calendars, while leveraging its institutional platforms to promote the initiative and support the development of athletes with competitive potential.
• VIRTUS Puerto Rico will lead athlete identification, provide psychological and socio-emotional support, oversee classification processes (where applicable), and facilitate access to international training, certification and competition opportunities through its affiliation with Virtus Sport and WBSC-sanctioned events.

While the collaboration initially focuses on Baseball5, the framework allows for the future inclusion of additional baseball and softball disciplines, creating a long-term inclusive development pathway within Puerto Rico’s national system.

“Both parties recognise the international growth and projection of inclusive Baseball5 and the potential formation of representative teams to compete in national and international events sanctioned by the WBSC and Virtus Sport,” FBPR and VIRTUS Puerto Rico stated. “This agreement also promotes joint community initiatives, educational programmes and promotional activities, without requiring the allocation of public or private funds by either organisation.”

The MoU is established for an indefinite term and includes provisions for ethical governance, transparency and sustained collaboration, reflecting a long-term commitment to inclusive sport development.

Making Baseball/Softball relevant in people’s lives and communities is one of the nine key goals of the WBSC's Strategic Plan. The partnership in Puerto Rico - which the WBSC encourages all its members to do similarly - builds on the global MoU signed between the WBSC and Virtus in 2022, further strengthening collaboration to provide competitive opportunities for athletes with intellectual impairments.

Virtus is the global organisation that governs, advocates, organises and promotes elite sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

In December 2022, the WBSC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with VIRTUS to promote Baseball/Softball for athletes with intellectual impairments and in January last year, introduced Baseball5 to VIRTUS members as a dynamic, youth-focused and urban-friendly discipline designed to maximise accessibility and global growth.