WBSC Executive Board celebrates tremendous growth and innovation for international baseball and softball

The WBSC
Executive Board remarked on a breakthrough year for the world of internationalbaseball and softball during its end of year meeting held at the WBSCheadquarters in Pully, Switzerland on Saturday.

Meeting forthe first time in person since the WBSC Congress in 2022, the WBSC ExecutiveBoard reviewed an “extremely successful” year and emphasised the importance ofthe future ahead as the WBSC continues to provide opportunities for people toengage with the sport of baseball and softball in all its forms.

“Today is aspecial day for me because it is the first meeting of our Executive Board herein our headquarters, finally in person, after the long period of the pandemic,”WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari told the members in his opening address. “Wehave had a very special last 12 months, which has heralded many new initiativesand exciting new projects.

World Baseball Softball Confederation Day

“In thisprecious moment, we have much to celebrate, but two important milestones cometo my mind - 10 years of life of the WBSC and the return of baseball &softball in the Olympic Programme of LA 2028.

“It was noteasy to put together two “worlds” that for decades followed different andsometimes contrasting paths, but today we can say that all the perplexities anddoubts that some had at the beginning of this journey have been overcome, andthe results are evident.

“We are one unified body, one unified federation, one solid International Federation. We can celebrate 10 May, the day the WBSC was born in 2014, as a united and strong organisation, including our eight Confederations and 191 National Federations. We will dedicate this day to our community to celebrate this day together. A day to commemorate the unification of baseball and softball.”

The WBSC Executive
Board approved the proposal to call 10 May - World Baseball Softball ConfederationDay

Return to the Olympic Games

On the returnto the Olympics sports programme at LA28, President Fraccari congratulated allthe members for their support behind getting baseball and softball on the LA28sports programme, especially USA Baseball and USA Softball.

“It’s greatthat baseball and softball are in the LA28 Olympics,” WBSC Executive VicePresident for Softball and USA Softball CEO Craig Cress said. “We have workedtogether very well with the different stakeholders, including the athletes andthis is not only a reward for the work we have done but also the globalbaseball and softball community.

“Havingbaseball and softball in the LA28 Olympic Games was a no brainer and we’relooking forward to it being a great success at LA28,” WBSC Member at Large forBaseball and USA Baseball CEO Paul Seiler said. “Now the exciting work startsfor LA28 and beyond including Brisbane 2032.”

Baseball5

The next
Olympic Games for the WBSC is the Youth Olympic Games 2026 in Senegal whereBaseball5 will feature. The Executive Board acknowledged the power of WBSC’s urban,mixed-gender sport to continue to engage new participants in baseball andsoftball and reach new communities with the power of sport. President Fraccarisaid the success of Baseball5 “continues to prove how we are changing andinnovating, we are breaking some moulds and are really a global sport.

“Last month’s
Youth Baseball5 World Cup in Ankara, Türkiye was a great preview of what we canexpect at the Youth Olympic Games, with dynamic action on the field as well as greatcamaraderie amongst the teams. Our mixed gender discipline is proving to be agreat hit!”

World Games Qualification Process

The WBSC
Executive Board approved the qualification process for the World Games Chengdu2025, which will take place from 7-17 August 2025, for both men’s and women’ssoftball.

The qualificationprocess for the two eight-team tournaments will include:

• onespot for the hosts China,
• sixspots for the top six teams in the WBSC Ranking as at 31 December, 2024
• oneWild Card spot, to be awarded by WBSC no later than 31 January, 2025.

Meanwhile,the Executive Board reviewed another busy events season which featured 100teams in WBSC World Cups (not included the Baseball Champions League) which camefrom countries from all five Olympic continents – Africa (5), Americas (13), Asia(8), Europe (10) and Oceania (2).

A total of12 different countries won medals including from the Americas (9), Asia (7),Europe (1) and Oceania (1).

Innovation and change

Theinaugural edition of the Baseball Champions League and the launch of theeBaseball Series as well as the success of the WBSC eBASEBALL™: PowerPros were heraldedas landmark moments in 2023 for the international baseball and softballcommunity.

Followingthe successful first WBSC Baseball Champions League in Merida, Mexico, whichgenerated impressive media coverage, plans are already underway for the next editionin 2024, which will be announced in the near future, while eBaseball, with muchsuccess at the Olympic eSport Series – where the WBSC was included as one of 10participating International Federations - and the WBSC eBaseball Series, isseen as a major growth opportunity which the WBSC will further embrace in thefuture.

The WBSC Legacy
Club, which has been set up to give more people the opportunity to participatein sport, was also acknowledge as a key WBSC project of the future. Earlierthis year, the WBSC opened a dedicated Baseball5 field in the Azraq RefugeeCamp in Jordan, which now has two fields and almost 60 kids enjoying three trainingsessions per week while four other Baseball5 teams are growing in neighbouringvillages including in another refugee camp (Souf), where Palestinians, whoescaped from Gaza, are living. “I believe this will prove to be one of the mostimportant and impactful initiatives we have ever launched,” President Fraccarisaid.

To closethe meeting, the Executive Board approved the Finance Report of 2022, as wellas updates to the Disciplinary ByLaws and WBSC Safeguarding from Harassment andAbuse Rules.

Two playerstransfers -  Kaeber A. G. Rog fromKoninklijke Nederlandse Baseball Softball Bond to Curaçao Baseball Federationand Ahir N. G. Meulens from Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball Softball Bond toCuraçao Baseball Federation - were also approved.