The
World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has recently appointed Gambian
sports leader and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, Beatrice Allen,
to vice president of the world governing body of baseball and softball.
The
appointment of Allen raises the composition of the WBSC Executive Board to 31%
female (4 of 13) and follows WBSC’s signing of the International Working Group
(IWG) Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration on Women and Sport.
IOC guidelines set a target for at least 20%
of decision-making positions to be occupied by women.
Allen
was among four new members appointed to the WBSC Executive Board.
“The
WBSC is honoured and excited to welcome an experienced and distinguished world
sports leader like Beatrice Allen as new WBSC Vice President,” said WBSC
President Riccardo Fraccari.
“Her
knowledge and expertise -- from world issues like women in sport and diplomacy
to development in Africa -- will be a major asset to the WBSC Executive Board
and our federation as a whole, as we aim to evolve baseball and softball into a
1 billion-member global sport over the next decade and retain Olympic-status in
2024, 2028 and into the foreseeable future.
The
WBSC and our 202 National Federations and Associate members across 143
countries have never been as strong, ready or in a better position to realise
this shared global vision.”
Allen
has served in various high-ranking sports leadership roles, including
Chairperson of the Women and Sports of the Association of the National Olympic
Committees of Africa (ANOCA), 1st Vice President of the National Olympic
Committee of Gambia, and in various IOC Commissions, including member of the
Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad Rio 2016 and the IOC
Women in Sport Commission.
Allen
is also honorary president of the Gambia Softball Association.
WBSC
Vice President Allen said: “WBSC under President Fraccari is very serious about
baseball and softball’s international expansion and about the role women can
and must play if the vision is to be realised.
That’s why it’s a welcomed honour, privilege
and responsibility for me to take on this new global challenge with WBSC.
I am particularly motivated to work with
President Fraccari and the other distinguished members of the WBSC Executive
Board to break down barriers and achieve historic new milestones in baseball
and softball, and in world sport.”
New
WBSC Executive Board
The
WBSC has also appointed Panama’s Meliton Sanchez, an IOC Honorary Member, as
the WBSC Global Ambassador for Softball, alongside WBSC Global Ambassador for
Baseball Antonio Castro of Cuba – son of former Cuban leader Fidel.
Guatemalan
IOC Executive Board member Willi Kaltschmitt will continue serving as one of
two WBSC Vice Presidents, alongside Vice President Allen.
Baseball
Federation of Asia (BFA) leader Tom Peng will serve as the new Baseball
Executive Vice President, while USA Softball’s Craig Cress will serve on the
WBSC Executive Board as the new Softball Executive Vice President.
WBSC
Executive Board
President:
Riccardo Fraccari (ITA)
Secretary
General: Beng Choo Low (MAS)
Vice
President: Will Kaltschmitt (GUA)
Vice
President: Beatrice Allen (GAM)
Baseball
Executive Vice President: Tom Peng (TPE)
Softball
Executive Vice President: Craig Cress (USA)
Treasurer:
Angelo Vicini (SMR)
Member
At-large: Ron Finlay (AUS)
Member
At-large: Paul Seiler (USA)
Member
At-large: Taeko Utsugi (JPN)
Member
At-large: Tommy Velazquez (PUR)
Athlete
Representative for Baseball: Justin Huber (AUS)
Athlete
Representative for Softball: Maria Soto (VEN)
Global
Ambassador Baseball: Antonio Castro (CUB)
Global
Ambassador Softball: Melitón Sánchez (PAN)
The
first meeting of the new WBSC Executive Board has been tentatively scheduled
for March 2018 in Paris, France.