The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) supports the difficult joint decision made today by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Senegal President Macky Sall to postpone the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2022 to 2026, where five-on-five Baseball5 is to debut as an official medal sport on the programme.
“This postponement meets the requirement of responsibility and the concern for efficiency imposed by current circumstances,” the IOC said in a statement. “The IOC and Senegal understand that this news will be disappointing for many young athletes.”
WBSC’s newest discipline, Baseball5, was added to the Youth Olympic Games sports programme by the IOC in January.
The inclusion of Baseball5 as a medal event on the YOG sports programme showcases the sport’s youth appeal and is an unprecedented development opportunity to grow the game across Africa, says WBSC leadership.
"While we were very much looking forward to Baseball5's debut in the Youth Olympic Games in 2022, we completely understand the reasons for the postponement," WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said. "The WBSC will make the best out of this delay in Baseball5's Youth Olympic Games debut and will do all in its power to turn an initial disappointment into a better opportunity for the many Baseball5 fans around the world.”
Baseball5’s inclusion at the Dakar 2026 YOG will mark the first time baseball/softball features at a Youth Olympic Games and it will also be the first Olympic team sport to feature mixed-gender teams.
