WBSC Legacy Club celebrates first anniversary on International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
On International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the WBSC Legacy Club marked its first anniversary by highlighting the continued success of Baseball5 in the Azraq Refugee Camp and neighbouring villages in Jordan and revealing plans to expand the Legacy Club’s activities to Kenya
In 2023, on the 10th anniversary of the United Nation day, the WBSC launched the Legacy Club, which is focused on using baseball/softball as a tool to help bridge cultural gaps and enhance standards of education, health and economic and social development globally.
In January 2024, the Baseball5 Azraq Refugee Team project began its second year of activity in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan, where Baseball5 has been introduced to the children living there and participation has continued to increase over the past months.
To mark the anniversary and to celebrate the UN International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the Legacy Club and the Maher Foundation organised two tournaments. The first one was the 2nd Ramadan Tournament of Baseball5 for Development and Peace held on the 4 April in the Balila village in Jordan. Two teams from Balila, Meqbeleh, Summa and the Souf Refugee Camp competed before a shared dinner in the evening.
The media committee for the tournament conducted interviews with some of the players and fans of the game, where they praised the impact of Baseball5 on their lives by contributing towards a peaceful society and helping improve the health of its members. They also expressed their passion for practicing Baseball5 whilst helping to build a better future through social communication and uniting efforts to add a human touch in dealing with others.
Participants unanimously agreed on the importance of humanitarian organizations employing sport to develop and enhance social, health and educational well-being and to enable youth and women to participate in sporting activities .
On 7 April, the Azraq Refugee Camp will host the second edition of the Open Sports Day, with Baseball5 competitions taking place all day for Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 teams for the joy of the 82 participants.
Baseball5’s positive impact in the Camp was emphasised by Amenah Shihan, whose three children all play the sport and have benefitted from the work of the Legacy Club.
Shihan said: “Reem, Ahmed, and Ali all joined the refugee team more than a year ago and it continues to bring a great benefit to their lives. As well as their enjoyment, it encourages them to live a healthier lifestyle and they participate alongside dozens of other children in training. Belonging to a group and a team has helped their cooperation, commitment, respect for time, and rejection of violence and isolation.”
In May, Baseball5 will once again form part of the Hope and Dreams Festival in Azraq, where the WBSC joins with other organisations such as World Taekwondo to promote health and well-being, as well as hope and dreams to refugees, and empower them through sports.
Khaled Al-Khalidi has three sons playing Baseball5 in Azraq, who will all hope to be part of the Baseball5 Refugee Team at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, and he praised not only the impact it had on his children, but also the level of care provided by the coaches and the WBSC.
Al-Khalidi said: “The interest that the WBSC shows for the refugee team and the care that it gives them is excellent. I have seen positive changes in my sons’ physical, psychological and social development through practicing Baseball5 with pleasure and passion. They are invested in the sport and spend their free time learning its skills and interacting with its programme. I also believe it has helped them pay more attention to their learning at school.”
The success of Baseball5 has resulted in the Jordan Olympic Committee approving the request of affiliation of the Jordanian Baseball Softball Federation, which will ensure a lasting legacy is left in the country.
Now, the WBSC is exploring opportunities to expand the reach of the Legacy Club in the coming months with the introduction of Baseball5 to the Kakuma Camp and Kalobeyei integrated settlement in Kenya. To kick start this project, the WBSC is in dialogue with the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network, an organisation which focuses on improving employment opportunities for displaced individuals.
