by www.baseballeurope.com
The French Federation of Baseball, Softball and Cricket (FFBS) is a new associate member of the French Paralympic movement thanks to the effors of players and coaches of baseball for the sight impaired and wheelchair softball. Gerard Masson, President of the French Paralympic Committee informed Didier Seminet, President of the FFBS, of the favorable decision of the Board of Directors. Gerard Masson thanked the FFBS for its efforts to “improve the development of the integrative paralympic movement while respecting the differences and facilitating access to the practice of sports activities for the largest number of those with handicaps.”
The Paralympic Committee modified its statutes in December 2012, making it possible for sports federations that practice sports for handicapped to request admission to the organization that encompasses sports that are already recognized internationally for the Paralympic Games. The next games will be in Brazil in 2016.
Didier Seminet has written credentials for Tom Nagel, President of the Handicap Commission of the FFBS and President of ABBF Baseball for the Blind. Tom will represent the FFBS to the Paralympic Committee. The FFBS will be in attendance during the next General Assembly on May 3rd at Olympic Headquarters in France. As a new member of the Paralympic Committee, the FFBS can present a candidate for the post of Administrator in the College of Associate Members.
The question remains: if baseball returns to the Olympics, will it be with the help of those making a place for baseball in the Paralympics? We’ll see in Rio in 2016.