Low Beng Choo, secretary general of the World
Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), has claimed Olympic inclusion would be
beneficial for baseball and softball but also for the Olympic Movement as a
whole.
Since baseball and softball were removed
from the Olympic programme following Beijing 2008, the two sports have combined
in the umbrella World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and have undergone
a number of reforms.
Despite finishing a distant second behind wrestling
in the initial vote for inclusion in the 2020 Games at last year's
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Buenos Aires, IOC President
Thomas Bach has since provided new hope.
On a visit to Tokyo last November, he claimed
reintroducing the two sports in baseball-mad Japan was "under discussion".
Although she hugely welcomed this opportunity Low
Beng Choo, who comes from a softball background and is also secretary-general
of the International Softball Federation (ISF), insisted the sports will
continue to battle for inclusion whatever the outcome of their 2020 bid.
"We knew
wrestling was strong and deserved a place on the Olympics - with all of their
history and traditions - but we also believe that we deserve a place on the
programme", she told insidethegames.
"We can do
a lot for the Olympics and they can do a lot for our sports.
"I have no
doubts that, given an opportunity to be at 2020, we would do well.
"As you
know baseball and softball are big sports in Japan, and we are very grateful
that the Japanese people would like to see both our sports in Tokyo.
"We are
continuing our effort regardless, and the earliest we can get on the programme
would be best, but we will continue working to get our opportunity."
Low Beng Choo
insisted the biggest challenge ahead for the sports lies in "convincing
IOC members that we have made a lot of changes".
Particular areas where progress has been made
include working together with the various professional baseball leagues around
the world, maintaining international growth, and focusing on anti-doping which
- after a number of recent suspensions -
is an issue all of the professional leagues are taking "very seriously", she claimed.
Speaking earlier this month in Manila during the
Asian Sporting Centenary celebrations, Low Beng Choo particularly highlighted
progress in terms of development particularly among youth populations - with
her own continent highlighted as a particular example.
Despite the popularity of rival sports, Pakistan
unveiled their first junior men's team for softball last month, for example,
while the women's game is also growing in both Iraq and Iran.
This was described as "huge given the circumstances of these countries" and
plans are also now underway to organize a regional tournament for west and
central Asia to be held some time later this year.
Low Beng Choo added that, since the replacement of
American Don Porter with Canada's Dale McMann as ISF President at last year's
Congress in Cartagena in Colombia, there has been a "smooth
transition" and that the relationship with baseball remains as strong as
ever.
She described how the sports
are currently trying to put everything together for a joint Congress due to be
held in the first half of this year and, although there is still some checking
to do as far as the Articles are concerned, everything is "coming along
fine".
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