More than 200 representatives from 133 federations gather together July 3-5 in Taipei City for the 4th WBSC Congress. (Courtesy of WBSC)
 

The fourth World Baseball Softball Confederation Congress wrapped up July 5 in Taipei City, bringing more than 200 representatives from 133 member federations together to discuss key issues of one of the world’s most popular sports.

Organized by Taipei City Government and Chinese Taipei Baseball Association, the three-day meeting is the largest of its kind ever staged in the country, according to the city government.

In his welcome remarks, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said baseball is inseparable from the daily lives of people in Taiwan. The biennial event is a great chance to strengthen connections between his passionate baseball city and the world’s baseball and softball communities, he added.

In response, WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari from Italy thanked Ko, WBSC Executive Vice President Tom Peng and CTBA President Jeffrey Koo Jr. for their tireless support and dedicated efforts in organizing the congress.

CTBA and its leaders have been a strong partner to the international games organized by the confederation for years, he said, citing the U-12 Softball, U-12 Baseball and U-23 Baseball World Cups set to be hosted by Taiwan this year.

During the event, Peng was presented the Order of Honor by Fraccari for his exceptional services and outstanding contributions to the development of the sport over the past 30 years. The former president of Baseball Federation of Asia from 2013 to 2020 was succeeded by Koo during the first day of the congress.

WBSC was created in 2013 when the International Baseball Federation and International Softball Federation merged. According to the organization, baseball is played by around 65 million people across more than 140 countries and territories.

Taiwan is rated second in both men’s and women’s baseball in the latest WBSC rankings, behind Japan in both categories and ahead of South Korea and Canada, respectively. (SFC-E)