Privacy Policy

Version of October 6, 2023.

1 - General Aim and Scope

1.1 - This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”), as updated from time to time, explains how the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (“WBSC”), av. du Général Guisan 45, 1009 Pully, Switzerland, as data controller within the meaning of the Swiss Data Protection Act of 25 September 2020 (DPA) processes Personal Data (as defined hereunder under § 2.2) in the context of its activities (e.g. events organisation; use of our websites, mobile applications, registration systems; digital marketing, etc.).

1.2 - This Policy does not apply to the processing of Personal Data related to Anti-Doping purposes and matters. These latter matters shall be carried out according to the terms and conditions provided for in WBSC Anti-Doping Personal Information and Data Collection, Processing and Protection Policy.

2 - Contact

If you have any questions about the management of your Personal Data or any other question relating to data protection, please contact our data protection officer at privacy@wbsc.org.

3 - Definitions

3.1 - “Controller”: WBSC as responsible for Personal Data and/or Information collection.

3.2 “Personal Data”: any data relating to an identified or identifiable individual person including – but not limited to – Sensitive Personal Information (such as – but not limited to – Personal Information relating to racial or ethnic origin, commission of offences – criminal or otherwise –, health and genetic information).

3.3 - “Event”: any WBSC competition, sporting or social event.

3.4 - “Data Subject”: any person transferring Personal Data and/or Information to WBSC.

3.5 - “Anti-Doping Activities”: activities specified by WADA Code, WADA’s International Standards, WADA ISPPPI and WBSC’s Statutes, Rules or Regulations, to be carried out by Anti-Doping Organisations, and their Third-Party Agents, for the purpose of establishing whether anti-doping rule violations took place, including collecting whereabouts information; conducting Testing; performing results management; determining whether an Athlete’s Use of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method is strictly limited to legitimate and documented therapeutic purposes; educating Participants on their rights and responsibilities; conducting investigations into anti-doping rule violations; and initiating proceedings against those who are alleged to have committed such a violation.

3.6 - “Authorised Third Parties”: individual or legal entity, public authority, agency or body other than the Data Subject, controller, processor and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorised to process Personal Data and Third-Party Agents.

3.7 - “Processing” (and its cognates, Process and Processed as well as Collection and Protection and their relevant cognates): collecting, retaining, storing, disclosing, transferring, transmitting, amending, deleting or otherwise making use of Personal Data and/or Information.

3.8 - “Data Breach”: any unauthorised and/or unlawful Processing of, including, but not limited to, access to, Personal Data and/or Information whether in electronic or hard-copy or other form, or interference with an information system, that compromises the privacy, security, confidentiality or integrity of Personal Data.

3.9 - “Recipient”: natural or legal person, public authority, agency or another body, to which the Personal Data are disclosed, whether an Authorised Third Party or not.

3.10 - "Third-Party Agents": subcontractors of WBSC who process Personal Data for or on behalf of WBSC.

4 - Purposes and categories of Personal Data

4.1 - WBSC can collect Personal Data for sports and/or marketing purposes, i.e.:

  • For the organisation of competitions, to update licenses following an initial registration by the first National Federation with which an athlete has registered;
  • For marketing purposes, in particular for sending newsletters to members of the community provided that the persons concerns agree to such communication of data;
  • To share and commercialize Personal Data to commercial partners provided that the persons concerns agree to such communication of data.

4.2 - These purposes include every activity necessary to stage, organise, implement, recognise or take part to events directly managed to WBSC, as well as for those events entrusted and/or subcontracted to Authorised Third Parties, by WBSC.

4.3 - Collecting and handling Personal Data includes as well all the activities deemed necessary to develop a sports database including all the athletes and officials information, to enable the Events accreditation process, to implement a public sports results database, to correspond with athletes, officials and National Federations and to provide them with news, information and notices as well as targeted advertising by e-mail newsletters and any other means of communication by WBSC and any other Authorised Third Party or Third-Party Agents.

4.4 - For competitions, WBSC can collect the following types of Personal Data for sport purposes:

  • Mandatory fields include name, surname, biological gender, date of birth, birthplace, and nationality;
  • Optional fields include preferred name, preferred surname, gender identity, disabled, spoken language, headshot, tax id, contact information (address, social media, email, phone), biography, food preferences, travel information (airport, departure city, frequent flyer number, medial notes), bats, throws, height, weight, clothing sizes, bank wire information, refund location, memberships, sanctions, documents (id, medial, privacy/disclaimer, visa, membership form, certifications, authorizations, other), unavailability dates, system username, organization of origin;
  • Event/Team/Game related information;
  • Performance statistics related to Baseball, Softball, Baseball5, and any other official discipline of the WBSC.

4.5 - Athletes, game officials, system administrators, and system users (or his/her duly authorised representative) acknowledges and accepts that his or her Personal Data can be used for the above-mentioned purposes and for market research, statistics, targeted advertising, development of mailing lists, news and notices services, event management and organisation, scoring systems and any other activity related to the general sports and marketing purposes of the collection as stated in the Policy.

4.6 - For its marketing purposes, WBSC can collect the following types of Data and/or Information:

  • Mandatory fields include name, surname, biological gender, date of birth, birth place, and nationality;
  • Optional fields include preferred name, preferred surname, gender identity, disabled, spoken language, headshot, tax id, contact information (address, social media, email, phone), biography, food preferences, travel information (airport, departure city, frequent flyer number, medial notes), bats, throws, height, weight, clothing sizes, bank wire information, refund location, memberships, sanctions, documents (id, medial, privacy/disclaimer, visa, membership form, certifications, authorizations, other), unavailability dates, system username, organization of origin;
  • Event/Team/Game related information;
  • Performance statistics related to Baseball, Softball, Baseball5, and any other official discipline of the WBSC.

4.7 - Athletes and clients of WBSC (or his/her duly authorised representative) acknowledges and accept that his or her Personal Data can become part of one or more database for Sports and/or Marketing purposes as well as part of public sports results database and news.

4.8 - As a member of WSBC or one of its National Federation, you accept that your Personal Data may be made available on WBSC official Website and Social Media pages to inform the public about the organisations and outcome of competitions.

4.9 - If you do not wish to receive newsletters or invitations from us, you can unsubscribe at any time by writing to us at the email address given in Section 2 above.

4.10 - In case of an Event in which WBSC decides to carry out video footages and/or taking pictures, the public, the participants and any other person taking part to and/or anyway assisting to the Event, shall be fully informed in advance by general notices to be displayed and/or posted on key points inside and outside the venue/s.

5 - Communication and Protection of Personal Data

5.1 - Personal Data are protected by appropriate organisational and technical measures.

5.2 - We do not transfer any Personal Data to third parties without the consent of the person concerned, except where this is necessary for the purposes described in this Notice.

5.3 - We may also transfer Personal Data to Third-Party Agents, in particular IT service providers and other service providers who supply IT applications (e.g., e-mail, telephony, teleconferencing or document sharing solutions), support services and other services at our request for the purposes set out in this data protection declaration, to our National Federations and to our commercial partners.

5.4 - Personal Data may be transferred abroad worldwide.

5.5 - We will also take appropriate steps to safeguard confidentiality, in particular by ensuring that our Third-Party Agents have signed a confidentiality agreement and have agreed to act as a processor of any Personal Data on terms that enable us to comply with our legal obligations.

6 - Your Rights

6.1 - Data Subjects have the right to request information in accordance with Article 25 DPA.

6.2 - If our processing is based on the consent of the Data Subject, he or she has the right to revoke that consent at any time with effect for the future.

6.3 - To exercise these rights, Data Subjects may contact the address given in Section 2 above. We will process such requests in accordance with Swiss data protection law and may also refuse them or carry them out in a restricted manner in accordance with legal provisions.

6.4 - Regardless of any refusal to grant or subsequent withdrawal of the consent by the Data Subject, the process of Personal Data still may be required, unless otherwise prohibited by Swiss Federal Law, when necessary to enable WBSC or any Third-Party Agents:

  • To commence or pursue investigations involving suspected WBSC Rules and Regulations violations relating to the Data Subject;
  • To conduct or participate in proceedings involving suspected WBSC Rules and Regulations violations relating to the Data Subject;
  • To establish, exercise or defend against legal claims relating to WBSC, to the Data Subject or both, or when required by any applicable law.

7 - Retention and Destruction of Personal Data

7.1 - Personal Data will in principle be kept for at least 10 years after registering for an event or terminating your membership of WBSC or one of its National Federations.

7.2 - Authorised Third Parties will retain Personal Data for as long as they are working for WBSC or until the Data Subjects decide to withdraw their relevant consent, if applicable.