World Baseball and Softball Confederation

International Baseball Federation

The first international baseball matches took place at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis ( USA ), where baseball was presented as a demonstration sport. In the same capacity, he was included in the unofficial program of the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912 . After 24 years, matches between two teams from the United States baseball was demonstrated in Berlin during the 1936 Olympics . In August 1938, a series of matches between the teams of Great Britain and the USA took place in several cities in England, which received the status of the first world championship . The winner was the home team, which won 4 matches out of 5. By the 1950 World Cup, held in the capital of Nicaragua, Managua , the number of teams participating in world championships had already reached 12.

In 1938, the International Baseball Federation was formed, in 1943 it was renamed the International Amateur Baseball Federation (Federación Internacional de Béisbol Amateur - FIBA ).

In 1951, baseball was included in the program of the first Pan American Games .

In 1953, the first continental federation was formed - the European Baseball Confederation , which began to hold European Championships next year. In 1954, the Asian Baseball Federation was created, which in the same year held the first championship of its continent .

In 1956 , 1964 and 1968, baseball was included in the programs of the Olympic Games as a demonstration view.

From 1973 to 1975, the baseball world experienced a split when some of the national associations quit the FIBA ​​and established the World Amateur Baseball Federation (Federación Mundial de Béisbol Amateur - FEMBA). In 1976, the united International Baseball Association ( AINBA , IBA ) was formed, in 1999 it was transformed into the International Baseball Federation ( IBAF ), which existed in this capacity until the merger in 2013 with the International Softball Federation (International Softball Federation - ISF) to the World Confederation of Baseball and Softball .

The Pan American Confederation of Baseball was created in 1985, the Oceania Baseball Confederation in 1989, and the African Baseball and Softball Association in 1990.

In 1988, baseball was again presented at the Olympics as an indicative form, and in 1992 in Barcelona, ​​Spain, was first included in the official program of the Olympics . In 1998, the IBAF and the Major North American Professional League ( MLB ) reached an agreement on the admission of professional players to the Olympic Games.

Since 2004, the women's baseball world championships have been held.

In 2005, at an IOC session, baseball and softball were excluded from the 2012 Olympics . In 2016, the IOC decided to return men's baseball and women's softball to the 2020 Olympic program in Tokyo ^[2] .

Presidents of IBF, FIBA, FEMBA, AINBA, IBA, IBAF

International Softball Federation

The International Softball Federation (ISF) was founded in 1952 , but until the mid-1960s actually did not carry out any activities. It was only in 1965 that Congress was held and the governing bodies of the ISF were elected. In the same year, under her management, the first world championship was held among women , and a year later - among men . In 1976, the first continental federation, the European, appeared in the ISF structure. Later, the Pan-American (in 1979), Asian (in 1990), African (in 1990, uniting baseball and softball national associations of Africa) and the Confederation of Oceania (in 2005) were added to it.

In 1991, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to include women's softball in the 1996 Olympics program in Atlanta. Softball was also presented at the 2000 , 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. In 2016, the IOC session decided to return softball as well as baseball to the 2020 Olympics program in Tokyo .

In 2013, the International Softball Federation merged with the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) into the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC), but, unlike the IBAF, continued to function as an autonomous structure within the WBSC.

ISF Presidents

• 1965-1987   William Ketan
• 1987—2013   Donald Porter
• since 2013   Dale McMann

The supreme body of the World Confederation of Baseball and Softball (WBSC) is the General Assembly , which convenes once every two years. All national associations that are members of the WBSC are invited to attend. Moreover, each national association has two (if it develops baseball and softball at the same time) or one (if it develops only one sport) votes.

To solve the tasks set by the General Assembly before the WBSC, as well as the statutory requirements, the delegates of the Assembly elect the Executive Council , which implements the decisions of the Assembly, as well as organizes the daily activities of the WBSC. The council consists of the president of the WBSC, two executive vice presidents (from baseball and softball), two vice presidents (from baseball and softball), a secretary general, a treasurer and 7 members.

In addition to the Executive Council, Executive Committees (Executive Committees) for baseball and softball are elected at the Meeting. The baseball executive committee consists of the president, 1st and 2nd vice presidents, general secretary, treasurer, vice presidents from continental federations, an executive director and three members. The softball executive committee consists of the president, 1st and 2nd vice presidents, general secretary, treasurer, 12 vice presidents from the regions (two each from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania and one from North America and English-speaking Caribbean), Executive Director, Honorary President and 4 members.

To address the special challenges facing the WBSC, permanent technical departments and commissions have been created in its structure.

WBSC is divided into 9 continental federations , which are its structural divisions. They are authorized representatives of WBSC in their geographical areas. National associations are both members of the WBSC and their regional federation. Softball national associations are also part of the International Softball Federation.

The list of regional associations is as follows:

• Europe

European Baseball Confederation (CEB)

European Softball Federation (ESF)

• Asia

Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA)

Softball Confederation of Asia (SCA)

• Africa

African Baseball and Softball Association (ABSA)

• America

Pan American Baseball Confederation (COPABE)

Pan American Softball Confederation (CONPASA)

• Australia and Oceania

Oceania Baseball Confederation (BCO)

Oceania Softball Confederation (OSC)

WBSC Executive Board

•   Riccardo Fraccari - President of WBSC
•   Israel Roldan Gonzalez - Executive Vice President, WBSC (Baseball)
•   Dale McMann - Executive Vice President, WBSC (Softball)
•   Willy Kaltshmitt Luhan - Vice President, WBSC (Baseball)
•   Meliton Sanchez Rivas - Vice President, WBSC (Softball)
•   Low Ben Chu - WBSC Secretary General
•   Angelo Vicini - WBSC Treasurer
•   Ronald finlay
•   Paul Sailer
•   Taeko Utsugi
•   Thomas Velazquez
•   Justin Huber - Athlete Representative (Baseball)
•   Maria Jose Soto Gil - representative of athletes (softball)
•   Antonio Castro Soto del Valle - WBSC Global Ambassador

As part of its activities, the World Confederation of Baseball and Softball is responsible for conducting the following tournaments among national teams:

Baseball

• Olympic tournaments in men's baseball - once every 4 years (jointly with the IOC );
• Baseball World Classics (men) - once every 4 years on odd post-Olympic years;
• WBSC Premier 12 (men) - once every 4 years for odd pre-Olympic years;
• World Championships among women's national teams - once every two years for even years;
• World Championships among men's teams of various ages - once every two years in even (age of participants up to 23 and 15 years) and odd (age up to 18 and 12 years).
• Until 2011, the men's world championship was held .

Softball

• Women's Olympic softball tournaments - once every 4 years (jointly with the IOC );
• World Championships among men's national teams - once every two years in odd years;
• World Championships among women's national teams - once every two years for even years;
• World Championships among junior national teams - once every two years in even (men) and odd (women) years (age of participants is up to 19 years).

The brackets after the name of the country indicate the national association or associations of this country that are members of the WBSC: bs - combined baseball-softball, b - baseball, c - softball.

Europe

58 national associations from 43 countries: Austria (bs), Azerbaijan (s), Armenia (b, s), Belarus (b, s), Belgium (bs), Bulgaria (b, s), United Kingdom (b, s), Hungary (bs), Germany (bs), Guernsey (s), Greece (b, s), Georgia (bs), Denmark (b, s), Israel (b, s), Ireland (b, s), Iceland ( b) Spain (bs), Italy (bs), Cyprus (b, s), Kosovo (s), Latvia (b), Lithuania (b, s), Malta (bs), Moldova (bs), Netherlands (bs) ), Norway (bs), Poland (bs), Portugal (b), Russia (b, s), Romania (bs), San Marino (bs), Serbia (b, s), Slovakia (b, s), Slovenia (bs), Turkey (bs), Ukraine (bs), Finland (b), France (bs), Croatia (b, s), Czech Republic (b, s), Switzerland (bs), Sweden (bs), Estonia (b).

Asia

40 national associations from 26 countries: Afghanistan (b), Brunei (bs), Vietnam (b, s), Hong Kong (b, c), India (b, s), Indonesia (bs), Jordan (s), Iraq ( bs), Iran (bs), Kazakhstan (bs), Cambodia (b), China (b, s), DPRK (bs), Malaysia (b, s), Mongolia (b, s), Myanmar (b), Nepal (b, c), Pakistan (b, c), Singapore (b, c), Thailand (b, c), Taiwan (b, c), Uzbekistan (b, c), Philippines (b, c), Sri Lanka ( b), South Korea (b, c), Japan (b, c).

Africa

28 national associations from 24 countries: Botswana (s), Burkina Faso (bs), Gambia (s), Ghana (b), Guinea (s), Guinea-Bissau (s), Zambia (bs), Zimbabwe (b, c), Cameroon (bs), Kenya (b, s), Cote d'Ivoire (b), Lesotho (bs), Liberia (bs), Mali (bs), Morocco (b), Namibia (b, s) , Nigeria (bs), Senegal (s), Sierra Leone (bs), Tanzania (bs), Togo (b), Tunisia (bs), Uganda (bs), South Africa (b, s).

America

61 national associations from 37 countries: US Virgin Islands (b, s), Antigua and Barbuda (s), Argentina (b, s), Aruba (b, s), Bahamas (b, s), Barbados (s), Belize (s), Bermuda (s), Bolivia (bs), Brazil (bs), British Virgin Islands (b, s), Venezuela (b, s), Haiti (bs), Guyana (b), Guatemala (b , c), Honduras (b, s), Dominican Republic (b, s), Cayman Islands (s), Canada (b, s), Colombia (b, s), Costa Rica (b, s), Cuba ( b, c), Curacao (b, c), Mexico (b, c), Netherlands Antilles (b, c), Nicaragua (b, c), Panama (b, c), Peru (b, c), Puerto -Ree co (b, s), El Salvador (b, s), USA (b, s), Turks and Caicos (s), Trinidad and Tobago (b), Uruguay (s), Chile (b), Ecuador (b, s ), Jamaica (b, s).

Australia and Oceania

23 national associations from 15 countries: Australia (b, s), American Samoa (b, s), Guam (b, s), Cook Islands (bs), Marshall Islands (bs), Nauru (s), New Caledonia (b ), New Zealand (b, s), Palau (b, s), Papua New Guinea (b, s), Samoa (b, s), Northern Mariana Islands (bs), Solomon Islands (bs), FSM (b , c), Fiji (b).

Associate members of the WBSC are professional baseball leagues in China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

• Official Website (English) (Spanish) (Japanese) (Cor.) (Chinese)
• baseball-reference.com
• International Softball Federation (English) (Spanish)