Baseball5 World Cup: Africa embracing Baseball5 opportunity

Baseball5 World Cup: Africa embracing Baseball5 opportunity
16/04/2020
The Baseball5 World Cup, due to be held in Mexico at the end of the year, is an important step to the Youth Olympics Dakar 2022, where Baseball5 is included for the first time.

Baseball Kenya President Titus Mutwiri has praised the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) for helping spread the game of Baseball5 as the WBSC continues preparation for the Baseball5 World Cups, which are due to take place at the end of the year in Mexico.

Last week, the WBSC held initial talks through a video conference call with representatives from South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda and continued with Kenya and Zambia on Wednesday.

"Many thanks for the efforts to ensure Baseball5 becomes a global sporting discipline," Mr Mutwiri said via Twitter. "From Kenya we share the proud moments".

The consultations between the WBSC and National Federations from the Africa region are currently focused on the qualification process for the Baseball5 and the Youth Baseball5 World Cups as well as looking ahead to the Youth Olympics Dakar 2022, where Baseball5 is included for the first time.

A total of 12 mixed-gender teams will feature at both the Baseball5 and the Youth Baseball5 World Cup. The number of players per team is eight, equally divided between men and women with five players -- with a minimum of two players per gender -- on the field at one time. Eligibility for the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2020 is reserved for athletes born between 01 January 2002 and 31 December 2005.

So far only Europe has completed the qualification process for the Baseball5 World Cup (while all continents are still to play Youth Baseball5 World Cup qualifiers). France and Lithuania qualified through the inaugural European Championship during the last weekend of February.

The breakdown by continent is as follows:

  • Africa: 2 teams
  • Americas: teams
  • Asia: teams
  • Europe: (2) France, Lithuania
  • Oceania: 1 team
  • Host Nation: (1) Mexico

The Youth Baseball5 World Cup will serve as a Qualifier for the 2022 Youth Olympics, to be staged in Dakar, Senegal. Baseball5, the new urban version of baseball/softball, was added to the programme in January this year.