Baseball, Softball Continues Global Expansion as WBSC Adds Congo, St. Maarten and Tanzania as Newest Members

GABORONE, Botswana – Baseball and softball’s global growth continues as the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) today welcomed the African nation of Congo and the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten as the world governing body’s newest members.

The WBSC World Baseball Softball Extraordinary Congress at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) unanimously approved the membership of the Congo Federation of Cricket, Baseball and Softball (Fédération Congolaise de Cricket, Baseball et Softball), the St. Maarten National Baseball Federation and the Tanzania Baseball and Softball Association as the 182nd, 183rd and 184th WBSC Members.

The three new members were welcomed with applause by the WBSC Congress.

"The entire World Baseball Softball family congratulates and recognises our newest National Federations representing the Congo, Sint Maarten and Tanzania for successfully establishing baseball and softball in their countries," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "Today marks another historic moment toward the global development of our sport and achieving our mission of building a billion-strong baseball and softball community over the next decade, particularly as we take aim on Olympic inclusion in 2024 and 2028."

Estimated populations of Congo, Sint Maarten and Tanzania are 78 million, 33,000 and 55 million, respectively.

Individual Baseball and Softball Federations Merge

The WBSC Congress also approved the mergers of previously separated baseball and softball federations in Burkina Faso, Chile, Ghana, Mongolia, Nepal and the Republic of Korea. The combining of baseball and softball federations follows the historic precedent set with the merger of International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and the International Softball Federation (ISF), which established the WBSC in 2014.

Representatives of the Republic of Botswana, the Botswana Ministry of Youth Empowerment Sport Culture Development, the Botswana National Sport Commission as well as the senior vice president of the Botswana National Olympic Committee, Lieutenant Colonel Botsang Tshenyego, were in attendance at the WBSC Congress.

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