28/12/2023 4 Minute Read

2023 Year in Review - Development: Baseball/Softball continues to develop in many ways and many places

The WBSC funds development through the Continental Associations and various partnerships. New Baseball and Softball venues opened from Africa to the Middle East to Asia while Iran (featured photo) staged its first U-13 Baseball Championship.

During 2023, the WBSC allocated US$219,500 to the Continental Associations to support development initiatives. The Associations can use the funds for projects to support athletes' and coaches' development and promotional activities in schools and communities. National Federations can apply through the Continental Associations for grants that cover courses for administrators or improvement of playing facilities.

The basic allocation is equal for every Continental Association. Various parameters, including the governance score and the number of recognized National Federations, contribute to the total allocation.

Olympic Solidarity

Since baseball/softball is an Olympic sport, WBSC members can access funds for the development of baseball/softball through their National Olympic Committee and IOC Olympic Solidarity.

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Baseball & Softball Federation ran a Development of the National Sporting Structure (DNSS) course under the auspices of the Olympic Solidarity programme in March. The Fiji Islands Baseball & Softball Association (FIBSA) development officer and recently elected WBSC Oceania Executive Board member Inoke Niubalavu conducted the course.

The WBSC contributed 135 gloves, 24 softball bats, 30 baseball bats, 24 helmets, 12 catcher-gear sets and 18 gear bags.

The WBSC partnered with Grupo Internacional de Paz (GIP, International Group for Peace) to support their project La Vida es un Diamante (Life is a Diamond).

From 18 to 22 May, Luis Perez (Puerto Rico), a WBSC Level 1 Licensed Instructor, coordinated a course for 20 baseball coaches at Apartadó, Antioquia, Colombia.

GIP seeks to strengthen the capacities of people and communities to build peace in societies that have traditionally used violence to process their conflicts, contributing to sustainable development in Latin America and the world. Community sport has been a privileged means to achieve this.

A new Golden Age in Africa

The WBSC has also partnered with the Olympafrica Foundation and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) to promote baseball and softball in Africa since 2001.

The agreement has boosted Baseball5 development, but Africa is not limited to the five-on-five version of baseball/softball.

In August, the Zimbabwe Softball Association ran a training camp for pitchers and catchers in the U-12 age bracket in the eastern city of Mutare. The association's technical director, Grant Machikiti, and former Zimbabwe senior men's team pitcher Alfred Sithole ran a camp for 27 children.

Witness M. Nkomo, the association's secretary general, commented: "The camp represented a step in the right direction."

Build it, they will come

Burkina Faso Baseball Softball Federation (FBBS) President Ibrahima Sibore is very proud of the new field he inaugurated in Ouagadougou.

"We have suffered from the lack of infrastructure for a long time," Sibore said. "It was difficult to practice baseball and softball in our nation's capital before the inauguration of this field."

The venue, which cost Central Africa Francs 51.5 million, US$83,400 and was fully funded by the Japanese Embassy, occupies 21,822 square meters (234,890 square feet).

Taiwan's first international standard softball complex received its grand opening on 3 July. Taichung City Major Lu Shiow-Yen and Deputy Speaker of the Legislation Tsai Chi-Chang threw a ceremonial pitch to mark a new chapter in softball development in Taichung.

The complex, consisting of an international standard softball field and a practice field, is located at northern Taichung on a former army base. The US$8.35-million project broke ground in July 2020 and was completed at the end of 2022.

The Saudi Arabia Baseball Softball Federation announced that Diriyah, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Al-Turaif, will host the country's first baseball field. Diriyah is 20 kilometres from the Kingdom's capital Riyadh.

Growth of Women's Baseball

Miroslawa Cumba was pivotal in the trailblazing all-female umpiring crew that made history in the 62nd Cuban National League in May. Alongside crew chief Janet Moreno, Yalili Acosta and Milagros Quiñones, Cumba took her place behind home plate, calling balls and strikes on a historic day.

Anjali Khalkho went from rural India to the Women's Baseball Asia Cup, showcasing the amazing opportunities for boys and girls from all walks of life in sport.

Anjali, 23, is the daughter of a farmer and an employee of the Women and Child Development Department. She lives in one of the 105 villages under the Kusmi block of the Balrampur municipal district, northeast of the subcontinent.

It's an area where, according to the local press, girls are forced to consider marriage at a very young age to support their families. Facilities for training and a regular diet are not always available. The road that leads to sports is a winding one.

Anjali started playing baseball in school. She credits her accomplishments to her parents, coach Akhtar Khan, sports teacher Hemlata and her siblings Alok, Anshumala and Akanksha.

On the eve of the Women's Baseball Asia Cup, delegates from the Chinese Baseball Association, the Baseball Association of Hong Kong-China, the Indonesia Baseball Softball Federation, the Iran Baseball Association, the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association, the Sri Lanka Baseball Softball Association, the Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Thailand national teams and the Taiwan Women's Baseball Advocate Association participated in the first Asia Women's Baseball Summit. They had a chance to share their women's baseball programmes, reporting on the current status of competition within their territories.

What's Asoball?

The future baseball and softball stars of Japan are embracing a new version of the sport specifically developed for preschoolers called Asoball, which is proving to be popular with kindergartens across the country.

Asoball is a pun on the Japanese word asobo (let's play) coined with the English word ball. The game targets the kindergarten age group, 3-6.

WBSC Executive Board member at large and former Japan women's softball National Team manager Taeko Utsugi is behind the new initiative,

"Asoball is a baseball-type experience programme to nurture baseball/softball talent among toddlers and preschoolers," commented Utsugi. "The athletic abilities to throw, catch and hit a ball are basic motor skills everyone should master. These skills enhance the development and maturation of both the brain & body and improve social communication skills."

New leagues are reasons to celebrate

The Bhutan Baseball and Softball Association (BBSA) launched on 27 August 2022 its first U-18 baseball league. The seven-team league finished on 13 November, with Royal Bhutan Bodyguard Youth coming from behind to win the final, 13-12, against Dechencholing Higher Secondary School. Thimphu beat Toba Lower Secondary School, 9-4, to claim third place.

The BBSA used the new league to begin plans to launch U-8, U-10, U-12 and U-15 baseball and softball leagues in 2023.

"The U-18 league was basically a beginner course for both players and Bhutanese coaches," commented BBSA International Coach Marvin Moore. "The focus was just on the rules of the game and the fundamentals, and we wanted the kids just to have fun playing baseball."

In November, Alborz won the first U-13 Baseball Championship in Iran (featured photo) ahead of Khorasan Razavi. Boushehr placed third.

The first vice president of the Iran National Olympic Committee, Gholamreza Norouzi, participated in the closing ceremony. The National Olympic Committee has guaranteed support to develop Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 in Iran since 2021.

The games were played at Karaji Stadium, a recently renovated venue that fits international standards.