Landmark Series Helps Strengthen Case for Baseball/Softball to Go to 2020 Olympic Games.
"The athletes spoke the same language through baseball; they respected the same rules; they respected and admired each other. No interpretations were necessary. The Olympic platform does this on a worldwide scale; sport has that power." Antonio Castro, World Baseball Softball Confederation
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Commenting on the success of the series from Havana today, Antonio Castro, a leading official with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), said the spirit of the series reflected the values, ideals and internationalism of the Olympic Movement as identified by founding father Pierre de Coubertin.
"During the series, the athletes spoke the same language through baseball; they respected the same rules; they respected and admired each other. No interpretations were necessary. The Olympic platform does this on a worldwide scale; sport has that power," Castro added.
Castro, a surgeon and doctor for the Cuban National Olympic Team at the London 2012 Olympic Games last year, said the success of the series, which concluded earlier this week, had inspired him and his WBSC colleagues to redouble their efforts to earn the honour of participating at the 2020 Games.
"The Olympic Games is the greatest global celebration of humanity and sport, and the key to inspiring more young people everywhere to become involved in sport and advance the movement," Castro said.
Paul Seiler, USA Baseball CEO and WBSC Executive Board member, fully agrees with his Cuban colleague and friend. "We have seen baseball and softball captivate entire nations, and we feel our sport could serve to strengthen the Olympic Games because like the Olympic Movement, baseball and softball can unite citizens across all the borders and boundaries that divide us, as we have seen with this historic Cuba-USA baseball friendly series," Seiler said.
WBSC leaders stress that the expanding presence of baseball and softball in China, Africa, India, South America and other world regions, including rising Europe, would bring the Olympic values and ideals to a new generation of young people around the world if baseball and softball are included at the 2020 Olympic Games.
"Baseball and softball are games that anyone, anywhere can play, regardless of their age, gender, social standing, disability, cultural or political position. It's a worldwide game already played in more than 140 nations," Castro said. The IOC will decide in early September which sport will be added to the 2020 Olympic Games. |
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