Baseball/Softball community celebrates WBSC 10th Anniversary, World Baseball Softball Day
The international baseball softball community came together today, 10th May 2024, to celebrate World Baseball Softball Day and the 10th anniversary of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
"Today marks a decade since the unification of the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation under one banner," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "Over these years, we have witnessed an incredible journey filled with many milestones and achievements. Together, we have also overcome any challenge that has come our way. And at the heart of this journey has been the spirit of teamwork."
Athletes, coaches, fans and National Federations from around the world joined the WBSC for this emblematic day, to remember the anniversary of WBSC as the international world governing body of baseball/softball.
The 10th May was declared World Baseball Softball Day to mark the anniversary of the WBSC, with the inaugural WBSC Congress taking place in Hammamet, Tunisia in 2014, where Riccardo Fraccari was elected the first president. This completed a successful merger between the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and the International Softball Federation (ISF).
Celebrations included a week-long series of workshops and meetings at the WBSC headquarters in Pully, Switzerland, involving several stakeholders like the WBSC Athletes Commission, Associated Members, and WBSC Staff.
On Wednesday, the WBSC Athletes Commission hosted its first Athletes Summit from the Olympic House, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Ahead of the summit, the IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari, Monica Abbott, Timothy Atherton, Randolph Oduber, Giovanni Pantaleoni, Ayako Rokkaku and Maria Soto to the Olympic House. The Athletes Summit proved to be a success, with more than 100 athletes from around the world participating in the discussion.
On Friday, the celebration moved to The Olympic Museum in Lausanne. During the day, WBSC athletes and staff hosted an open activity for guests and visitors, giving public the opportunity to experience baseball softball in a batting cage, and receiving instructions from Olympians like Abbott, Pantaleoni and Soto, and professional athletes like Atherton, Oduber and Rokkaku.
During the day, national federations engaged and celebrated World Baseball Softball Day with their own social media posts to illustrate the unity and passion of baseball/softball athletes and fans around the world.
Check out World Baseball Softball Day as it happened. An prize - a $10,000 equipment grant - was awarded to the National Federation or club with the most dynamic social media post as selected by the WBSC Athletes Commission. With the Bhutan Baseball & Softball Association the declared winner.
On the night, the WBSC hosted a gala reception at The Olympic Museum, where President Fraccari addressed the special guests with a review of the biggest milestones in the WBSC's 10 years of history. During the gala, the WBSC premiered "#PlayEverywhere", a documentary about the history of the WBSC's new urban discipline Baseball5.
"It's a day to celebrate our sport and all that we have achieved as one united team. A day to not only reflect on our successes but look forward to the bright future that the WBSC has," said Fraccari. "With Baseball5 set to make its debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar 2026, and baseball and softball's to return to the Olympic programme at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, the future is bright.
"I invite you all to join me in a toast: To a united WBSC, to the strength of baseball and softball, to the incredible journey we have shared, and to the exciting future ahead," closed Fraccari.
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