Press release World Baseball Softball Confederation
PULLY, Switzerland; 29 October 2020 — The World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) newly established Integrity Unit today released the updated Baseball5 official game ball certification programme for its modern, urban-friendly and mixed-gender Youth Olympic discipline.
The recently established WBSC Integrity Unit is tasked with enhancing fair play and transparency, protecting athletes’ rights, promoting inclusiveness and further enhancing governance.
As part of the Baseball5 ball certification programme, the WBSC released an updated, comprehensive set of certification rules for manufacturers and a list of approved manufacturers*.
The certification rules, which are also available in Spanish, specify the Baseball5 ball requirements and standard dimensions for manufacturers which will ensure that athletes are competing under the same conditions in every country. A rigorous application process is also outlined to ensure that all certified Baseball5 balls are of high-quality and competition ready, while a third party certified testing facility is tasked with receiving and evaluating the samples and delivering the results.
WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said: “Given how Baseball5 has quickly grown in many countries, the need for stringent international standards and updating our Baseball5 ball certification programme remain among our top priorities as we continue to monitor the expansion of this exciting, young sport.”
WBSC Secretary General and Integrity Unit Chair Beng Choo Low said: “Baseball5 has been on an incredible journey since its inception just over two years ago. The WBSC Integrity Unit is excited to contribute to the continued development of our newest discipline by placing even more emphasis on athletes’ rights, fair competition and a level playing field for all those taking part in the sport.”
* The WBSC list of approved ball manufacturers includes Teammate Sport International, Nagase Kenko Corporation and Grupo 201 Oficial.