“WBSC congratulates Israel Baseball and welcomes this landmark day that reflects the growing popularity and positive impact that baseball and softball, and sport, can have on young people’s lives and communities around the world. This great result not only highlights the synergy of becoming an Olympic sport, but also how baseball and softball can contribute to further strengthening the year-round connection between the Olympic Movement and the world.” — World Baseball Softball Confederation President, Riccardo Fraccari.
BET SHEMESH, Israel — Ground has broken on the construction of a new multi-venue baseball centre 30 kilometres (19 mi.) west of Jerusalem in Bet Shemesh, as the bat-and-ball team sport — played in over 140 countries — continues to see global expansion.
Israel’s new playing and training baseball hub, which will be completed later this year, will include one regulation field and two youth fields, batting cages, lights, dugouts and spectator seating.
Leaders from the Israel Association of Baseball (IAB), the city of Bet Shemesh, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and the Bet Shemesh Baseball Club led the ground-breaking ceremony. Israel Men’s National Team athletes, including Major League Baseball players, who are touring the nation, also participated in the ceremony.
The event was attended by hundreds of excited local baseball fans and young players.
Bet Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbol, who planted a baseball “seed” in the ground as a symbol of growth, told the audience, “Baseball teaches us many good things, how to behave in life…in political life as well. You have to work as a group in the team…in this city, we need this unity.”
“The JNF is working to build this facility in Bet Shemesh as well as in regions across the country,” said JNF Chief Israel Officer Eric Michaleson.
IAB President Peter Kurz said, “We want Bet Shemesh to be one of our most important centres, and looking at the crowd here, we can do it.”
Coming off a breakthrough year in 2016, Israel, currently No. 41 in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings, won a qualifier last September to earn the nation’s first-ever spot in the World Baseball Classic. Israel will compete in Group B (Seoul) with No. 3 Korea, No. 4 Chinese Taipei and No. 9 Netherlands in the opening round this March.
“This is an extremely exciting [time] for Israel baseball and for sport in Israel, in general,” Kurz said.
