WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari is confident Baseball Softball will “continue to experience excellent growth” in the Americas region after participating with Secretary General Beng Chow Loo in the Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019 in Fort Lauderdale last week from 10-12 December.
The inaugural event brought together international federations, continental governing bodies and sports leaders from the Americas for open and honest discussions on some of the key topics and issues affecting the business of sport.
Fraccari and Loo held key meetings on the sidelines of the event, including with the new president of the Liga Mexicana de Baseball (LMB), Horacio de la Vega.
The two-time pentathlon Olympic champion replaced Javier Salinas at the end of last month and spoke favourably of an increased collaboration with the WBSC, particularly on the participation of pro athletes in WBSC events, Corporate Social Responsibility projects and Baseball5 activations.
The Americas will be the place to be for Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 fans in 2020 with Mexico hosting the U-15 Baseball World Cup, the Women's Baseball World Cup, the U-23 Baseball World Cup and the inaugural Baseball5 World Cup for all age groups and U-15. Meanwhile, Arizona, USA will host the America's Baseball Olympic Qualifier in March while the inaugural U-18 Women's Softball World Cup will be stage in Peru in August.
WBSC had its own presence at the event with a dedicated Baseball Softball booth to showcase the best of WBSC’s events portfolio, including the Premier12, also known as the “Global Baseball Battle”, which saw Japan take the honours and Korea and Mexico qualify for baseball’s spectacular Olympic comeback in Tokyo next year.
Speaking on his return from the event Fraccari said: “It was a very productive trip to Fort Lauderdale and fantastic to meet with our regional sports colleagues to discuss the future of our movement in the Americas.
“Our sport has a deep cultural significance in the Americas, and following my visit to region, I am confident that Baseball Softball will continue to experience excellent growth in the years ahead.
“I’d like to thank SportAccord, the Local Organizing Committee and Greater Fort Lauderdale for making us feel so comfortable and welcome throughout our stay.”
