The International University Sports Federation and the World Baseball Softball Confederation aim to leverage sport as a platform for education, development and international exchange.
The International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) formalised a new phase of cooperation through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aimed at strengthening the development and global reach of Baseball/Softball within the university sports movement. The agreement takes immediate effect and will remain in force until 2030.
“The signing of this partnership marks a new important milestone on FISU’s path to offering unique sports events to student-athletes all over the world”, added FISU President Leonz Eder (here between FISU Deputy Secretary General Fernando Parente and FISU Chief Sports Officer Shen Zhen).
“Baseball/Softball is a very popular sport on campuses and will be part of the programme of the North Carolina 2029 FISU World University Games. This collaboration strengthens FISU’s links with International Federations and further enhances opportunities to expand the global reach of university sport.”
“Through this agreement with FISU, we are strengthening the global development pathway for Baseball/Softball while creating new opportunities for student-athletes to compete, grow and represent our sport on the international stage alongside our current age-group tournaments,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari (right).
“We are proud to work alongside FISU in advancing shared values of education, inclusion and international exchange through sport.”
As part of this landmark MoU, FISU will actively encourage its members, as well as Organising Committees of FISU Sport Competitions, to include Baseball/Softball in their event programmes, reflecting the sport’s growing global appeal among young athletes. This also includes the potential inclusion of Baseball5 in future editions of the University Games and/or its beach games cluster.
In parallel, the WBSC will support the integration of FISU events featuring Baseball/Softball into its official calendar, helping to strengthen the visibility of these competitions on the international stage.
Sport as a platform for education
The partnership also reflects a shared commitment to using sport as a platform for education, development and international exchange, while creating new pathways for student-athletes to compete at a high level.
The WBSC currently organises Baseball World Cups at the U-12, U-15, U-18 and U-23 level and Softball World Cups at U-15, U-18 and U-23 age groups as well as Baseball5 World Cups for youth (14-18 year olds) and open (athletes aged 14 and over).
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