The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari visited Jordan to witness the progress of Baseball5 at the Azraq Refugee Camp and how the sport continues to serve as a powerful message of integration in the country.
President Fraccari was making his second
trip to Azraq, having attended the Hopes and Dreams Festival earlier this year,
and was able to watch the Refugee Team train, as well as compete in the
friendly Balila Grassroots Baseball5 Championship on 18 July against teams from
local villages Balila and Maqbeleh.
The tournament was hosted by the WBSC Legacy Club and the Maher’s Foundation and saw six games played, with the Azraq team beating Balila 13-2, and the Balila team winning the final with an 8-2 victory over Maqbeleh.
Thanks to a generous donation to the WBSC Legacy Club, the President presented the Baseball5 team with 50 summer uniforms, shoes, leggings and socks, as well as a special appreciation plaque to Colonel Akram Zaki Bani Issa, the manager of the Azraq Camp, to thank him for his support of baseball5.
He also had the chance to talk to the team members and parents involved in the programme for their feedback, as well as visiting the additional Baseball5 field, which was made possible through the hard work of Head Coach Amjad Alatoom.
President Fraccari said: “It is always very
emotional to be here at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan and I could see that a
lot of improvements have already been made since I first visited the Camp in
March. Here in Azraq, baseball5 continues to bring communities together, showcasing
how sport can play a unifying role that we must always look to harness.
“I am looking forward to seeing our Refugee Team competing at the international level and hope that the WBSC Legacy Club will be supported by the baseball and softball communities to help this project grow further.”
The President and Chief Operating Officer Marco Ienna also met HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, President of the Jordan Olympic Committee and an International Olympic Committee Executive Board member, to discuss the development of baseball and softball in the country, using Baseball5 as a starting point in schools across the country.
