As the inaugural WBSC Baseball5 World Cup came to a close in Mexico on Saturday, I was struck by just how special and important this milestone event was. It was a moment we had been building towards for a very long time, since Baseball5’s launch in 2017.
Held in the iconic and historic El Zócalo in the heart of Mexico City, it was the ultimate setting for the world’s 12 best mixed-gender Baseball5 national teams to come together and compete for the urban discipline’s first-ever world title. My congratulations of course go to Cuba for claiming this historic honour after beating Japan in the final but I applaud all the teams in the way they played throughout the tournament, putting on competitive, entertaining games whilst at the same time making fun and fair play the essence of the tournament.
Fast-paced, dynamic and with huge youth appeal, Baseball5 took the
crowd in El Zócalo by storm. With three fields for competition/warm ups and
another three for fans to play, it was fantastic to see so many people
experiencing Baseball5 for the very first time. It demonstrated just how accessible
and easy to learn this innovative and modern sport is. There is no need for
specialist equipment or a dedicated pitch to be built, nor is any experience in
baseball required. It is sport in its purest form, creating tremendous joy and bringing
people together.
I am thrilled that, for the first time ever, we had three teams from
Africa competing in a WBSC World Cup event – Kenya, South Africa and Tunisia.
All three teams played unbelievably well, showcasing great athleticism and
sporting excellence, and their pride in playing for their respective country
and flag was clear for all to see. For Tunisia in particular, it marked the
country’s World Cup (baseball, softball or Baseball5) debut and, incredibly,
the team progressed all the way through to the Super Round.
For sure, the athletes have been the heroes of this competition.
Their performances wowed fans in Mexico and beyond and perfectly encapsulated
the urban, young spirit of Baseball5. They have also been the Baseball5 World
Cup’s loudest ambassadors by sharing their fantastic experience across social
media.
I must also note the exceptional professionalism of our hosts,
Mexico. From the Government of Mexico City to Mexico’s National Commission for Physical
Culture and Sport (CONADE) and the Mexico City Sports Institute, they have exceeded
our expectations and made the first ever Baseball5 World Cup truly unique. It
has been the WBSC’s pleasure to work with the organisers to provide this
magnificent stage for the athletes to perform on.
The platform that has been built at this fantastic event, will serve
as a launchpad to accelerate the globalisation of Baseball5. Already there are
qualifiers taking place for next year’s inaugural Youth World Cup while
Baseball5 will feature in the All African Beach Games and the Asian Indoor
& Martial Arts Games in 2023.
I’m also looking forward to seeing many of the athletes that made this
World Cup such a great success return for the qualifiers of the next edition,
which will be staged in 2024 before Baseball5 makes its debut at the Youth
Olympic Games Dakar 2026.
As you can see, Baseball5 has a very bright future ahead with many
historic milestones on the way. But success in sport is never achieved alone. The
global baseball softball community has now witnessed the triumph that is Baseball5
so now is the time to further embrace this burgeoning discipline and continue its
drive forward to allow as many people across the globe to experience all that
Baseball5 has to offer.
