2022 Year in Review: A year rich in development
"Programmes that give priority to athlete development, training of coaches, educating sports administrators and general promotion of our sport are considered key initiatives to achieving our collective goals," wrote WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari in his opening message of the WBSC Development Programmes 2022-2024 manual.
This year, which is coming to an end, witnessed a growing number of development initiatives.
Build it and they will come
New baseball and softball venues are the key to development in the region where they are built.
The Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation (RFEBS) announced in January that the Balearic Islands' first-ever baseball/softball field broke ground in Campos de Bintaufa (Mahon, Minorca).
Isidoro Garcia, the president of the Piratas, the Minorca baseball/softball club, said that the new venue is the first step to putting the island on the Spanish baseball/softball map. Competing at the national level would be next.
The Serbian Baseball Federation also celebrated the renovation of a baseball field in Belgrade, a project supported by the WBSC Development Commission. The project consisted of a batting cage and a water system to improve field conditions. The aim was to comply with the standards for hosting international tournaments.
Ibrahima Sibore, the president of the Baseball Softball Federation of Burkina Faso (FBBS), signed an agreement with Japan ambassador Masaaki Kato on 14 March at the Japanese Embassy in Ouagadougou. The deal granted FBBS West African Francs (CFA) 52 million (US$ 87,500) to support the construction of a sports complex that will include a baseball, rugby and soccer field.
And WBSC Premier12 alumnus Yoshitomo Tsutsugo invested 200 million Japanese yen (US$ 1.75 million) to build a new youth baseball facility in his home town of Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture.
Development in Europe
WBSC Europe, in cooperation with the Royal Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation and the Canary Islands Baseball and Softball Federation, organized the first Baseball Winter League from 19 to 26 November in Tenerife.
The goal was to help some of the best European prospects in the 17-23 age bracket expand their season and work on the field with top coaches to improve their skills.
Fourteen baseball coaches from Sweden, Poland, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Turkey, Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, and Romania took part in a preparation course for the WBSC Coach Licensing tests. The course, held by WBSC Coach Commission chairman Marco Mazzieri and veteran international coach and scout Mauro Mazzotti, took place during the fifth European Softball Coaches Association (ESCA) Training Camp in Diessen, the Netherlands.
Classroom and on-field activities prepared the 14 coaches for the WBSC Level 1 or Level 2 license tests. Nine coaches obtained the Level 2 WBSC License, and five received the Level 1.
Development in Asia
The presidents of the baseball and softball federations of Saudi Arabia, Nayef Mohammed Bin Humaid, and Palestine, Ahmed Tafesh, signed a historic memorandum of understanding to join efforts for development.
While the Indonesia Baseball and Softball League (LBSI) celebrated the 77th anniversary of Indonesian Independence with the first Indonesia Baseball League.
Independence Day is on 17 August. The tournament took place from 21 to 26 August at the GBK Baseball Stadium in Jakarta and involved six teams: Baladewa, Garuda, Gorgeous, Flash, Cheetas and Prambors.
In China, with the Zhejiang province hosting the next Asian Games from 23 September to 8 October 2023, the Shaoxing Baseball/Softball Sports and Culture Centre was officially opened in June 2022. It is the largest, highest specification and international standard game venue in China and will be used as the baseball and softball venue of the Asian Games.
While the Zhejiang Provincial Baseball and Softball Association (ZBSA) revealed impressive results of baseball and softball development in the Zhejiang province. Baseball in Zhejiang has expanded to hundreds of schools, and there are now 11 baseball fields in Zhejiang province with over 10,000 players.
Development in Africa
An equipment donation by the WBSC to 15 different recipients boosted Baseball5 development in Zambia. This came after the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) joined with the Zambia Baseball and Softball Association (ZBSA) to launch Baseball5 at the Olympic Youth Development Centre - OYDC Zambia - with an eye to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
The WBSC had also approved a development project by the Zambia Baseball Softball Association (ZABSA), funded by Olympic Solidarity and part of the Development of the National Sports System (DNSS) projects in the country.
The project will develop through three different phases. The first is dedicated to education on the ground in the local provinces, the second will offer extensive educational programmes to a selected number of individuals, and the third will introduce the country to a Baseball5 national competition.
