07/06/2024 1 Minute Read

WBSC Digital Trophies featured amongst latest IOC Sustainability Case Studies

It's the second time a WBSC project has been included as an IOC Sustainability Case Study after the Home Plate Headquarters in 2020.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) project for Sustainable Trophies has been acknowledged as taking "a progressive step" towards finding sustainable solutions in the world of sport, featuring as one of 12 Olympic Movement Sustainability Case Studies for 2023 published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The Olympic Movement has both an opportunity and a duty to actively contribute to the global sustainability debate in line with its vision of “building a better world through sport”. With this in mind, and in response to Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the IOC launched the International Federation (IF) Sustainability Project in 2016 to obtain an overview of IFs’ sustainability initiatives – identifying common topics, challenges and good practices while also sharing information among the IFs. One outcome of the project has been a series of case studies, which started in 2016, illustrating how IFs are actively contributing towards a more sustainable world.

Each case study is aligned with one or more of the IOC’s five sustainability focus areas: infrastructure & natural sites; sourcing & resource management; mobility; workforce; and climate. They are also aligned with one or more of the United Nations (UN) framework of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a common framework for organisations to explain how they plan to contribute to sustainable development and tackle the key global sustainability challenges.

Through a partnership with Legend as its NFT Awards Partner, the WBSC has embraced digital trophies, recognising them as a sustainable alternative to physical medals. Digital trophies have emerged as a promising and environmentally friendly alternative to reward athletes for their achievements.

As part of its sustainability strategy, the WBSC started awarding digital trophies to its champions in 2022, during the inaugural Baseball5 World Cup held in Mexico City and the first-ever Virtual Cup held in Seoul, Korea.

In March 2024 the WBSC awarded NFT trophies at the eBASEBALL™ Series 2023 World Finals in Lausanne.

The project for the WBSC Home Plate Headquarters was part of the 2020 Olympic Movement Case Studies.