In his End of Year Message, WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari wrote: "It has been a year of historic firsts and remarkable success, which serve as a testament to the passion and dedication of our global baseball and softball family, especially our athletes," which couldn't sum up the year 2024 any better.
On May 10, 2024, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) celebrated World Baseball Softball Day, which marks the founding of the World Baseball Softball Confederation with this year's inaugural edition marking the WBSC's 10-year anniversary with spectacular celebrations in the headquarters of the WBSC in Pully and the Olympic House and Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Pictured at the World Baseball Softball Day celebrations at the Olympic Museum on 10 May are WBSC Athlete Representatives (from left to right): Tim Atherton (Australia), Maria Soto (Venezuela), Ayako Rokkaku (Japan), Monica Abbott (USA), Randolph Oduber (Netherlands).
"Today marks a decade since the unification of the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation under one banner," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "Over these years, we have witnessed an incredible journey filled with many milestones and achievements. Together, we have also overcome any challenge that has come our way. And at the heart of this journey has been the spirit of teamwork."
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach recorded a message to congratulate the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), its President, Riccardo Fraccari, and the entire baseball/softball community on its anniversary.
During the 10th anniversary celebrations, the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, hosted the first ever WBSC Athletes Summit.
The important event also featured a webinar with representation from all five Continents, including Athletes’ Commission members Monica Abbott, Timothy Atherton, Randolph Oduber, Ayako Rokkaku, Maria Soto, Vanessa Mui and WBSC staff member Giovanni Pantaleoni.
The webinar involved over 350 participants from 44 countries representing the five Olympic Continents: Africa (Cameroon, Gambia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda); the Americas (Argentina, Aruba, the Bahamas, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, USA, Venezuela); Asia (Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka); Europe (Austria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Russia, Spain, Switzerland); and Oceania (Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands).
The week-long celebrations also included a WBSC Athletes Commission meeting, a first ever Baseball Pro Leagues Summit and the launch of the Baseball5 documentary #PlayEverywhere
The 2024 event calendar featured 16 tournaments, an unprecedented number - beating the previous busiest year in 2023, which included 15 events - and topped off by the spectacular WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS.
"All the participants in our sport, whether it be playing, coaching or officiating for the first time or a seasoned athlete proudly wearing their national team's colours in a WBSC tournament, are to be applauded for their commitment to our game and bringing joy to the many others who participate," wrote President Fraccari. "There was no greater illustration of this than the successful third edition of the WBSC Premier12 in November."
Japan became the first country to win the Women's Baseball and Women's Softball World Cups using the new two-stage format, which allows the WBSC to offer more hosting and participation opportunities to our member federations.
In 2024, the WBSC released the Member Handbook (in English and Spanish), a document created to further strengthen its members' development through a comprehensive online educational tool. In line with the WBSC Strategic Plan 2022-2028, the Handbook provides guidelines and resources for members to improve their governance and boost sustainable growth.
"The WBSC Members Handbook will help the Member Federations, Continental Associations and the WBSC itself to further strengthen governance and processes around every aspect of the WBSC family," said President Fraccari.
Before the start of the season, the WBSC published updated versions of the WBSC Official Rules of Baseball and the WBSC Baseball World Cups Tournament
The WBSC project for Sustainable Trophies was also acknowledged as taking "a progressive step" towards finding sustainable solutions in the world of sport, featuring as one of 12 Olympic Movement Sustainability Case Studies for 2023 published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Through a partnership with Legend as its NFT Awards Partner, the WBSC also embraced digital trophies, recognising them as a sustainable alternative to physical medals. Digital trophies have emerged as a promising and environmentally friendly alternative to reward athletes for their achievements.
During 2024, the WBSC also announced extending its partnership with Sportradar’s Synergy Sports through 2028. The partnership will provide coaching and scouting services through industry-leading technology and camera systems at select venues for assigned WBSC events, enriching the WBSC’s on- and off-field product.
In October, the WBSC announced a new partnership with Trackman, a radar system that tracks and records a sports ball in motion to provide insight and data to teams, fans and broadcasters. Trackman is extensively used among top professional teams globally, as well as in golf, and will provide advanced analytics to improve broadcasts and bring fans closer to the action. The WBSC and Trackman share a mission to elevate global baseball standards through Trackman's cutting-edge technology and data.
The WBSC published its latest annual Governance Report for 2023/2024 in English and Spanish in April, continuing to foster a culture of transparency and accountability within the organisation. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the WBSC’s progress towards enhancing its governance. Compiled by the WBSC Integrity Unit, it is also a key area of the WBSC Strategic Plan 2022-2028, which is aligned with the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and prioritises establishing a culture of good governance across the WBSC family as one of nine top strategic goals.
The Integrity Unit Annual report for 2023 (available in English and Spanish) showcased substantial progress in upholding integrity, safeguarding participants and promoting sustainability within the sport. The report elaborated on the achievements and ongoing efforts in anti-doping, governance, competition manipulation prevention, safeguarding from harassment and abuse, and sustainability initiatives.
The WBSC future looks particularly exciting.
The new Athlete Transfer Rules will take effect in January 2025. These rules prevent clubs from unilaterally recruiting players already under contract with another club, as well as players who have terminated their contracts allegedly without just cause. The WBSC actively endeavours to ensure that all athletes can participate in tournaments and events while respecting fundamental human rights principles.
Meanwhile, the WBSC Executive Board approved a new and enhanced voting system to elect Athletes’ Representatives onto the Executive Board at the WBSC Elective Congress. To ensure that the athletes’ voice is represented in all WBSC decisions, there are four Athlete Representatives on the Executive Board, one each from men’s baseball, women’s baseball, men’s softball and women’s softball. The next WBSC Elective Congress will be in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2025.
The WBSC also announced an update to the WBSC World Rankings Methodology and Guidelines, aiming to provide all teams with equal opportunities and enhancing competitive balance among programmes from different continents. The new methodology, available here, will be implemented with the first update of the rankings in 2025.
The most exciting news about the future is that the Premier12 2027 will expand to 20 teams. In 2026, the world ranked No. 13-20 will have the chance to compete for four participating spots in addition to the top 12 teams.
"This increase in the number of teams makes our pinnacle event even more global, demonstrating our commitment to building a stronger presence for baseball around the world," commented President Fraccari.
