International Baseball Federation (IBAF)

A combined European baseball team will be fielded for the first time to take on world No.1 Japan in a new competition formed by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has appointed a son of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro as a global ambassador as it seeks to build its bid for the sports’ return to the Olympic programme.

Elisha Chauhan looks at the set-up of the new Premier12 competition, which baseball’s world governing body hopes will be a game-changer for the sport’s international development.

Riccardo Fraccari has pledged to add new impetus to the drive to return baseball and softball to the Olympic programme following his election as the first-ever sole president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).

Baseball and softball’s joint bid to return to the Olympic fold has been given a boost following comments by the Rio 2016 Games president.