World Refugee Day: Global expansion of baseball-softball can and must serve refugees, says WBSC President Fraccari

Here at the WBSC, we are committed to using baseball, softball andour newest discipline, Baseball5, to improve the accessibility and services ofour sport to refugees. This is why the WBSC is a proud member of the UNHCR andInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) “Sports Coalition”.

As we emerge from one of the most challenging years many of us haveever known, we are reminded by days like World Refugee Day that there is stillmuch work left to ensure our world is governed by solidarity, compassion,diversity and inclusivity. There is no doubt that sport has a key role to playin promoting these values while raising awareness for critical issues such asthe global refugee crisis, which show that we must continue our efforts toensure that sport can be accessible to all.

The COVID-19 pandemic has of course impacted the implementation ofour vision, with sport and travel put on hold for much of 2020. However, wehave used time away from the field to focus on setting strong foundations tolaunch our sport into a new era. And we will continue to take the lessonslearnt to ensure that the WBSC – and baseball and softball – continues to make oursport more accessible to more communities.

Accessibility is one of the key reasons behind the creation of Baseball5 - which only requires a ball to play – and is designed to be a youth-focused and inclusive game that anyone can #playeverywhere.

In 2019, we had the honour of introducing Baseball5 to Zaatari, theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) run world’s largest campfor Syrian refugees, as part of the partnership developed with the organisationPeace and Sport. Baseball5 was introduced over the course of a two-day coachingworkshop to many of the 80,000 refugees living in the camp.

It is initiatives such as these that will shape our vision topositively impact the lives of refugees worldwide and provide opportunities forthem to participate in sport and derive its many benefits. With this vision inmind, we will redouble our efforts in the years ahead, with the guidance of theUNHCR, to ensure these opportunities are created.

The same goes for the WBSC’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) withWorld Taekwondo (WT) and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) to promotehumanitarian, social inclusion and development-supporting activities. Here, allthree organisations remain committed to exploring all opportunities andprojects to advance youth participation and inclusive sport.

Meanwhile, the IOC’s announcement of the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR)for Tokyo 2020 was indeed a message of hope and solidarity to the world whileraising awareness to the plight of over 80 million displaced people worldwide. Mywarmest congratulations must go to the team of 29 refugee athletes competingacross 12 sports, and I have no doubt that their performances at the Games willinspire the Olympic Movement and beyond.

I call on the global baseball-softball community to honour themillions of refugees around the world, not only today, but every day, and torecognise the need to ensure that sport and its benefits must become moreaccessible. It is only together that we can build a stronger global community. Likethe UNHCR says; “We shine when we play together as a team.”