2023 Year in Review: Sport For All - Blind Baseball, AsoBall, G-Baseball and Miracle Leagues providing new opportunities
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) opened the way for new ways for people to engage with baseball and softball in the summer of 2022, sanctioning the first Blind Baseball International Cup. The discipline reached a milestone in 2023 with the first-ever European Championship.
Five National Teams participated in the event in Bologna, Italy with the hosts dominating the tournament, outscoring their opponents 42-1 during the opening round and shutting out France (10-0) in the semifinal and the Netherlands (6-0) in the final.
Great Britain finished third, France fourth and Germany fifth.
The event was organized by the Italian Baseball Blind Association (AIBxC, a WBSC Associate Member), the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (FIBS) and WBSC Europe. AIBxC President Alberto Mazzanti described the accomplishment as "an important milestone along our Paralympic journey."
Not only in Italy
Italy is the leading Blind Baseball country in the world. The Italian Blind Baseball League (LIBCI) was founded in 1997. The Fortitudo Bologna White Sox are the three-time defending champions.
The Italian version of Blind Baseball has expanded to Europe and beyond.
In March 2023, the Financial District (FiDi) Lions in New York, USA, honoured the participation of the United States in the WBSC Blind Baseball International Cup during the celebration of Peace, Friendship and International Understanding, an event they have hosted since 2013 and saw over 100 Lions' members from all over the world.
International President Brian Sheehan received the team's flag and a banner of photos of the players who finished third during the Blind Baseball International Cup from Braulio Thorn and Robert Weeks, Lions' members and Blind Baseball players.
The United States Blind Baseball Association (USBBA) introduced students from Lighthouse Guild’s Youth Skills Programme to blind baseball. A group of blind or visually impaired students ages 6-13 gathered in May in Central Park, New York.
Ed Plumacher, Adaptive Technology Specialist at Lighthouse Guild, and the president of the USBBA, along with his fellow blind baseball players, coaches and volunteers and Jaydan Mitchell, coordinator of Youth Programmes at Lighthouse Guild, were on hand offering expert coaching and providing safety tips to help prevent eye injuries as part of Healthy Vision Month.
AsoBall
The future baseball and softball stars of Japan embraced 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, which sees children hit from a tee using a soft bat and a ball made of sponge. Hitting, throwing, catching and running are included in the game, allowing children to learn the basics of baseball/softball while having fun.
"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."
The difference with tee-ball is in the format. Asoball uses a simple game format. Children are divided into two teams, offence and defence. The offensive team lines up in order to hit the ball, while the defensive team spreads out to catch the ball. Each team has approximately 12 players, but the number may change depending on the circumstances.
Jaely's miracle
Baseball player Jaely Plaisance was named Special Olympics girls athlete of the year by The Advocate, the largest daily newspaper in Lousiana, USA.
A Live Oak High School junior, Plaisance competed in different running events at the Special Olympics, following which she started playing baseball and joined the Miracle League.
"What she most enjoys is the competition against others to see if she can make it to the ribbon first," said Carly Percle, Jaely's mother, about Plaisance's performance at the Special Olympics in an interview with The Advocate.
The Miracle Leagues were born to remove the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field. Miracle League teams play on custom-designed, rubberised turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assertive devices while helping to prevent injuries.
The first Miracle League opened in Conyers, Georgia, in April 2000. There are over 350 Miracle Leagues in the United States, including Puerto Rico and Canada, with 450,000 participating children and adults.
How about G-Baseball?
The Local Organizing Committee of the Baseball European Champions Cup, hosted by the Netherlands, organized a showcase of G-Baseball, an adapted version of baseball/softball designed for individuals with mental disabilities, at Amsterdam Pirates Ballpark.
Amsterdam North Stars and Rotterdam Portland Cougars took the field intending to inspire other countries to introduce G-Baseball.
G-Baseball originated in the Netherlands in 2009. Modified rules and equipment include a bigger and softer yellow softball to ensure all participants enjoy the sport.
There are not strikeouts in G-Baseball with both teams progressing through their entire lineup during an inning, allowing players to fully experience the joy of hitting.
North Stars and Poema's are two of the seven clubs playing G-Baseball in the Netherlands. The others are The Hague Storks, Red Caps-The Miracles Leusden, Saints Sluggers Rotterdam, Hilversum Hurricanes and Oosterhour Twins.
