WBSC Congress Postponed to 2022

(ATR) The executive committee of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) decides to postpone its Election Congress until March 2022.

Around the Rings has learned the decision was adopted during a "virtual" meeting held on Thursday.

The Congress, which was originally to be held in November 2021, will remain in Taipei.

However, before the date change can become final, the 198 federation members will have to sign off on it.

A document with this proposal from the executive board has been sent to the national federations.

A source close to President Riccardo Fraccari told ATR that the Italian would be willing to run again.

ATR has sent Fraccari a request for confirmation of that.

Although there are still 19 months to go before that Congress, to date no other candidate is emerging to lead the WBSC.

It was also known that during the videoconference on Thursday the WBSC finalized details about its digital platform "e-learning" aimed at raising the technical level of coaches and coaches.

The WBSC's preliminary calendar for 2021 has 14 competitions. The program has been increased due to tournaments postponed by the pandemic in 2020.

The highlight of the calendar will be the postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo, which will mark the return of baseball and softball to the Olympic Program.

In September the WBSC will decide whether to change the dates of the U15 and Women's World Championships in October and November based in the Mexican city of Tijuana, or if it cancels both competitions for 2020.

By its next meeting in November, the executive board should already have the conclusions of its two study groups, baseball and softball, on how to organize future competitions under the "new reality" imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

To date the WBSC has been able to host only one of its tournaments scheduled for 2020.

"Some millions of dollars have been lost," a source from that international sports entity told ATR.

To mitigate the damage caused by the pandemic, the WBSC is one of the federations that has received financial help from the International Olympic Committee.

Homepage photo: WBSC

Written and reported by Miguel Hernandez

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