WBSC celebrates International Women’s Day and reaffirms commitment to equality

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) today celebrates International Women’s Day alongside its member federations worldwide and emphasises its continued commitment to driving gender equality in the sport.

In 2024, the theme for International Women’s Day is Inspiring Inclusion, focused on continuing to drive women across the globe to participate in sport, not just through playing but through coaching and occupying leadership roles within organisations.

At the elite level, 2024 will see both the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals take place in Castions De Strada, Italy, from 15 to 21 July and the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Finals, presented by CARNEXT, in Thunder Bay, Canada, from 18 July to 3 August. The WBSC remains focused on providing opportunities for women and girls to compete on the international stage, at all age groups.

The WBSC’s commitment to inclusion is demonstrated by the rapid rise of the mixed-gender, dynamic and urban discipline of Baseball5, which will the second edition of the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup take place in Hong Kong, China later this year. Since its introduction in 2017, Baseball5 has helped drive new communities towards our sport and fostered social cohesion, notably in the Azraq and Zaatari Refugee Camps in Jordan.

Secretary General Beng Choo Low is one of five women on the WBSC Executive Board, and she reiterated the importance the organisation’s continued efforts in gender equality and inclusion.

Beng said: “The WBSC celebrates International Women’s Day alongside our members as it allows us to shine a spotlight on work we do throughout the year. We remain focused on empowering women through our sport and providing equal opportunities, both on and off the diamond, and it serves as a key part of our Strategic Agenda 2022-2028.

“In 2024, we will witness our elite women compete in both the Women’s Softball World Cup and Women’s Baseball World Cup, where the performances of the athletes in Italy and Canada will inspire women locally, nationally and internationally to pick up a bat or ball and try our sport.

“Taking our sport into new communities and inspiring more people to participate is another important strand of our Strategic Agenda. The 2017 introduction of Baseball5 has been revolutionary in this regard, thanks to its accessibility and all-inclusive nature. The next generation of WBSC athletes will grow up having seen girls and boys play alongside each other, showcasing that there are no barriers in our sport."

As part of the WBSC's celebration of International Women's Day, it collaborated with the international governing bodies of the four other additional sports for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games - the International Cricket Council (ICC), the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), World Lacrosse (WL) and the World Squash Federation (WSF) - to celebrate International Women’s Day through the theme “Inspire Inclusion,” with their athletes striking the “inclusion pose”.