Club France Baseball5 Refugee Project set to shine at Olympic Games Paris 2024
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is pleased to announce that from 8 to 12 August, 10 young refugee athletes from the Azraq Camp in Jordan will be in the French capital Paris to experience the magic of an Olympic city and participate in a Baseball5 exhibition event at Club France.
A Baseball5 field will be set up at the Parc de la Villette in Paris on 10 and 11 August, to feature the WBSC's mixed-gender, dynamic and urban discipline. With its minimal equipment and facility requirements, Baseball5 is easy to learn, accessible, inclusive and fun for all.
The Azraq Refugee Baseball5 Team will participate in an exhibition match with the French national team during the event. The project has the full support of the WBSC, the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Refuge Foundation, the French National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the French Federation of Baseball and Softball.
“Despite all the challenges to grant the travel permit for the team, we are thrilled that everything has come together to organise this very special trip for these young refugee athletes and to give them the opportunity to participate in this exhibition match and experience an Olympic Games,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.
“This unique chance to experience the Games would not have been possible without the support and backing of French NOC President David Lappartient and the French authorities. The WBSC is incredibly grateful to them for their continued cooperation.
“Sport has the unique power to foster unity and joy beyond bordersand amid challenging circumstances. We hope the athletes have an incredibletime and that the event promotes Baseball5 among locals and visitors to Parisalike.”
For many of the young refugees, this will mark their first experience travelling beyond the Middle East and their first Olympic experience. It will serve as an important precursor to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026, where Baseball5 will make its Olympic debut and the WBSC aims to have a refugee team competing at the Games.
The Refugee Team will be made up of five girls and five boys aged 13-16, who will be joined by head coach Amjed Alatoom, assistant coach Reem Hadroos - who hopes to become the first female coach from the Azraq Camp to coach at a YOG - and team manager Khaled Alkhaled.
An Olympic city in full flow will provide an extraordinary opportunity for these young individuals to immerse themselves in the Olympic spirit within the vibrant atmosphere of Paris.
In addition to the exhibition matches at Club France, the team will also have the opportunity to visit the city’s famous landmarks and the electric Champions Park. Additionally, they will meet with members of Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team to learn more about their journeys to the Olympic Games.
Not only is Baseball5, which will stage its second World Cup in Hong Kong, China from 7-12 October, an Olympic sport and a popular addition to many school programmes around the world, but the WBSC is also committed to using Baseball5 as a tool for social development. The sport was first introduced to the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan in January 2023 and has been supported by the WBSC Legacy Club since April 2023. It has provided nearly 100 children with a positive outlet for their energy and talents, fostering unity and hope amid challenging circumstances.