Athletes around the world are invited to join the first World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Athletes' Summit, which will take place from 14:00 to 15:00 on Wednesday, 8 May. Participants can join by registering here.
Taking place two days before World Baseball Softball Day, which also marks the WBSC's 10th Anniversary, the Athletes' Summit will take place at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee - Olympic House - featuring members of the WBSC Athletes' Commission.
The WBSC Athletes Commission Members will celebrate the WBSC's 10th anniversary by conducting a live conversation about their commitment to fellow athletes, the commission's goals and how their activities can impact athletes during their careers and while transitioning to their post-career lives.
All baseball/softball athletes whether professional or amateur, regardless of age, gender or discipline can join this occasion to meet their role models and freely ask any questions about career transition.
The panel will be:
Monica Abbott (USA). She is one of the top women's softball pitchers of her generation. Monica helped the United States to silver medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Timothy Atherton (Australia) is a professional baseball player who will represent Australia at the WBSC Premier12 2024.
Randolph Oduber (Netherlands). He is a former professional baseball player who represented the Netherlands internationally. He is an IOC Prevention of Competition Manipulation (PMC) Believe in Sport campaign Ambassador and an International Testing Agency (ITA) Education Ambassador.
Giovanni Pantaleoni (Italy). He is a former professional baseball player who represented Italy at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He is also an IOC PMC Believe in Sport Ambassador and a WBSC Staff member.
Ayako Rokkaku (Japan). She is a former Women's Baseball World Cup MVP and a Baseball5 player. She is an IOC PMC Believe in Sport Ambassador.
Maria Soto (Venezuela) is a former international women's softball player and coach who competed in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. She is also the president of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee.
International women's baseball player Vanessa Mui (Hong Kong) and New Zealand softball captain Cole Evans will join the conversation remotely.
The Athletes Summit is part of the initiatives leading up to World Baseball Softball Day, which will make its historic debut in a week, on 10 May 2024.
The date holds special significance as the day when the WBSC elected its first Executive Board in 2014, marking the beginning of a new chapter for baseball/softball.
“We stand as a single, unified and strong International Federation. The 10th of May, the day the WBSC was founded in 2014, is a day for us to celebrate our unity and strength, along with our eight Confederations and 191 National Federations,” President Riccardo Fraccari emphasised. marking the 10th anniversary of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), following the successful merger of the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation in 2014.
All WBSC National Federations and Members are encouraged to participate and celebrate World Baseball Softball Day by posting their passion for Baseball/Softball on social media.
A gala dinner will also be held at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, 10 May, to celebrate the occasion, with all National Federations and Members welcome to attend.
