WBSC History

After a history spanning 75 years, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and International Softball Federation (ISF) joined together to create the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) - the world governing body of Baseball and Softball.

The WBSC members elected their first leadership on 10 May 2014 at the historic inaugural Congress in Hammamet, Tunisia. Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, wrote in a message: "This historic inaugural Congress reflects the efforts and the changes of recent years…we are very pleased to see that the National Federations are following the updated structure and the new direction of the WBSC".

Riccardo Fraccari was elected the first President and said: "This union does not erase our past, but rather, it unites baseball and softball legacies."

The Congress also paid tribute to longtime softball leader, Don Porter, who stepped down after more than forty years of service.

Fraccari, on behalf of the IBAF, and Porter, as the President of the ISF, had announced the merger on 14 April 2013 after signing the new body’s constitution at a news conference during the IBAF congress in Tokyo.

Both men sat on the Committee that picked the name of the new organisation, which was a legitimate compromise between the proposal by ISF (ICSB, International Confederation Softball Baseball) and IBAF (IBSF, International Baseball Softball Confederation).

Six years later, on 6 July 2020, the WBSC opened its new, permanent headquarters in Pully, Switzerland, to stay close to the IOC and the Olympic Movement.

On 5 July 2022, the Congress in Taipei City re-elected Fraccari as WBSC President through to 2028.

In November 2023, the WBSC Executive Board declared 10 May as World Baseball Softball Day to celebrate the unity of the global baseball and softball communities.

One month later, the WBSC Congress voted a relevant statutes change which will come into force by the 2025 World Congress. One combined Executive Board will lead the WBSC with the support of two additional permanent Commissions for Baseball and Softball.

Documents

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WBSC Headquarters