WBSC Executive Board reflects on World Baseball Softball Day success

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Executive Board reflected on a week full of meetings and celebration - in the lead up to and including the first World Baseball Softball Day, which celebrated the WBSC's 10th anniversary on 10 May - as it met at the organization's headquarters in Pully, Switzerland on Saturday.

"Friday marked 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."

Executive Board members congratulated President Fraccari and the WBSC staff for the all the work and achievements accomplished over the past 10 years. culminating in a busy six days last week.

A week-long series of workshops and meetings at the WBSC headquarters, involving several stakeholders such as the WBSC Athletes Commission, Pro Baseball Leagues and WBSC staff, preceded the inaugural World Baseball Softball Day.

Inspired by a successful Pro Leagues Summit, the Board approved the creation of a Pro League Commission.

The Athletes' Commission representatives also reflected positively on their activities during the week, reporting to the Board on the success of the first ever WBSC Athletes' Summit. "We felt that Wednesday marked a pivotal moment due to the popularity of the event and number of engaged athletes. We are already looking forward to the next one," said Athletes Commission member Randolph Oduber.

The inaugural WBSC Athletes Summit served as a forum for crucial discussions, inviting participation from the entire community and anyone keen on contributing. During the summit, a wide array of important topics was deliberated upon, reflecting the diverse interests and concerns within the athletic sphere.

The next day, the WBSC Athletes' Commission convened further to solidify the commitment to athlete-centric initiatives and policies.

The Board approved the new Athletes Transfer Rules proposed by the Athlete Transfer Working Group. The rules apply to all National Federations, Continental Associations, clubs, and athletes, and they set out general principles concerning the transfer of athletes between clubs affiliated with different National Federations. The new set of rules will be implemented from January 2025.

Transfers between clubs of different national federations can occur after a valid International Transfer Certificate (ITC) is issued by the WBSC. The ITC can be interrupted if disciplinary measures are pending against the athlete or the athlete has failed to fulfil the obligations under a contract with a club.

The WBSC Executive Board also approved a bid by the Thailand Softball Association to host the 2025 Congress in Bangkok.