Press release, IBAF, www.ibaf.org
All Sites Across Europe To Exceed Standards For Conservation
(LAUSANNE, Switzerland) The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) today unveiled its Green initiatives for all of its sites for the 2009 Baseball World Cup, which will be held across Europe from the 9th- 27th of September. The initiatives based upon the International Olympic Committee’s “Agenda 21,” are designed to raise environmental awareness and ensure that the tournament itself is as eco-friendly as possible. These steps are the first on a continental wide scale for the sport, and will be emulated at all IBAF sanctioned championships globally going forward.
“The IBAF is very conscious of its influential role in society, and the positive messages its events can play in raising the awareness of conservation issues,” said IBAF Secretary General John Ostermeyer. “We are very pleased that we will be able to do our part to assist in this critical area by putting these issues in place for the World Cup.”
Included in the IBAF plan for the World Cup will be collection points at all venues for recyclable material, public address and public service announcements involving athletes reminding fans about environmental consciousness, a reduction in the amount of official vehicles used at all sites, the use of energy efficient lighting and field maintenance systems, and a staff of volunteers at each venue to make sure all green initiatives are being carried out. Each venue will also bear a specially-designed logo designating the site a green zone during the event.
This initiative will see the 2009 Baseball World Cup fall further into line with Olympic movement standards, as the tournament will be Agenda 21-compliant, WADA-compliant and will follow ORIS guidelines for information systems.
In conjunction with the green event announcement, the IBAF also promoted the relevance of baseball as a sport on the world and Olympic stage. Presented by Martin Miller, president of the confederation of European baseball, the presentation highlighted baseball’s wide-reaching appeal and links to Olympic history.
First round World Cup games will be held in Regensburg, Germany, Moscow, Russia, Prague, Czech Republic, Sundbyberg, Sweden and Barcelona, Spain from September 9-12. The second round will be split between Italy and the Netherlands, while the final round will be in Italy on September 27. In total, 22 nations will compete for the coveted world championship.