FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                29/30 July 2014

Combat added as an Official Supplier of 2014 U-15 Baseball World Cup

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The world governing body of baseball and softball, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), has announced a new partnership that brings on one of baseball and softball's most iconic brands, Combat, as an Official Bat Supplier of the 2014 U-15 Baseball World Cup.

The most elite selection of 15-year-old baseball players in the world will be representing their countries in the II U-15 Baseball World Cup -- the highest level of competition in baseball for this age group -- from Thursday, 31 July to 10 August across Sinaloa, Mexico.

As part of the agreement, Combat will supply its high-quality, high-performance bats to the National Teams for use in the eighty-three games of the world championship showpiece, and the Combat brand will have a presence around the competition venues in Culiacan, Los Mochis and Mazatlán.

"We are proud to partner with such an industry leader in innovation and performance, like Combat, to put its elite products in the hands of the world's most elite and most exciting young baseball players, who will be united on their National Teams for the U-15 Baseball World Cup," said WBSC International Baseball Marketing Manager, Masaru Yokoo. "And the Combat brand will also ensure that we not only meet the needs of the world's top young players, but also the Baseball World Cup's strict competition safety-standards."

In heightened safety regulations enacted by WBSC's International Baseball executives earlier this year, all bats to be used in the U-15 youth world championship must comply with the strictest of standards to ensure the maximum level of player safety.

Combat International Sales & Marketing Director, Dave McNally, commented:

"We are extremely delighted to partner with the WBSC and to have our product connect with baseball's future stars on baseball's biggest stage in this youth age group.  We are confident the upcoming U-15 Baseball World Cup will be a premier platform from which Combat can further its position and brand awareness globally." 

The global spread of the 2014 U-15 Baseball World Cup, in terms of participating countries, will expand across Africa, the Americas (i.e., the Caribbean, North-, Central- and South America), Asia, Europe and Oceania.

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MEDIA: For media inquiries, please contact:
media@wbsc.co

About the U-15 Baseball World Cup:

Launched in 2012 by the International Baseball Federation and played every two years, the U-15 Baseball World Cup has established itself as the pinnacle of baseball in this age category, like the U-12 Baseball World Cup. And also like the U-12 event, the U-15 Baseball World Cup is the only world championship across all of sport to feature National Teams in this age group.

Past players who have competed on the youth Baseball World Cup platforms include Canada's Brett Lawrie, Japan's Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani, South Korea's Shin-soo Choo, Cuba's Aroldis Chapman and Yasiel Puig, and USA's Clayton Kershaw, Justin Upton and Buster Posey, among countless others past and future stars.

About the World Baseball Softball Confederation:

Headquartered in the Olympic Capital city of Lausanne, Switzerland, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) was established in April 2013 and granted recognition as the sole competent authority in baseball and softball by the International Olympic Committee at the 125th IOC Session in September 2013. The WBSC represents a united baseball/softball sports movement that encompasses over 65 million athletes worldwide.

The WBSC governs all international competitions involving any of the National Teams of its 141 National Federation members.  

The WBSC also oversees the Baseball World Cups and Softball World Championships and is the only sports organisation in the world that oversees a U-12 youth national team world championship.

The WBSC currently has National Federation members in 141 countries and territories across Asia, Africa, Americas (Caribbean, Central-, North- and South-America), Europe and Oceania. 

For further information, please go to www.WBSC.co.