BRASSCHAAT, Belgium – Wheelchair softball in Belgium in on a roll.
More than 70 athletes participated in the second Wheelchair Softball Tournament held in the Peerdsbos sports hall in Brasschaat, Belgium, won by the De Sloebers, a combined team of host club Royal Borgerhout Squirrels.
Leaders of the Royal Belgium Baseball and Softball Federation (KBBSF) state the success of the event is just another example of the adaptability and attractiveness of softball as an inclusive sport for all, giving greater opportunity and empowering for people of all ages, genders and abilities to participate in sporting activities.
“This inclusive event is a welcome and positive addition to our sports,” said Martin Langezaal, Marketing and PR Director of the Royal Belgian Baseball and Softball Federation. “Players from The Netherlands are already interested to come and play, so we look forward making it an international tournament next year. Wheelchair Softball is here to stay in Belgium and we welcome all teams and players with open arms to join this great sports initiative.”
With the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari aiming to establish a community of 1 billion athletes, fans and officials over the next decade to grow baseball/softball into one of the biggest sports in the world and to become a long-term Olympic sport, rising movements like wheelchair softball and the new five-on-five street baseball (“Baseball5”) will be instrumental at achieving these objectives of spreading the game to new demographics and audiences worldwide.
