DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Baseball needs to strew its image as a mainlyAmerican sport in sequence to win back a mark at a Olympics, according thepresident of a sport’s international federation.
Riccardo Fraccari says ball must rebrand itself as an internationalgame, as well as that he sees potential to expand in tools of Europe as well as Africaand a Middle East, where Iraq as well as Iran have approached him about investing inthe sport.
“The summary we have to give to people is that ball is a global sport,not American,” Fraccari told The Associated Press upon Tuesday at a SportAccordconvention. “This was a inapplicable designation made in a past.”
Fraccari pronounced he will work with softball upon a corner bid in 2013 to get backinto a Olympics. Baseball as well as softball were dropped after a 2008 BeijingGames.
An Italian who became boss of a International Baseball Federation inDecember, Fraccari pronounced his top priority is returning ball to a Olympics.He concurred that ball is far more grown in a United States thanelsewhere, but forked to thriving leagues in Latin America, Japan as well as otherparts of Asia as a sign that it is “a very global sport.”
“Many times when people approach me, they speak as if it’s an Americansport,” he said. “It’s not true.”
In 2005, softball as well as ball became a first sports in 69 years to bevoted out of a Olympics. Both lost appeals for reinstatement in 2006 as well as thenset their sights upon this year’s opinion to get back upon a module for 2016.
Instead, International Olympic leaders voted to supplement golf as well as rugby to the2016 Games, whilst softball, ball as well as three alternative sports were left out.
At a time, then International ! Baseball Federation boss HarveySchiller expressed beating that softball had distanced itself frombaseball following a 2005 vote, rejecting an suggest of a corner Olympic bid.Instead, softball mounted a campaign to expand in a Middle East as well as Africa,and it touted a clean doping record.
But that could be changing. With only a single sport approaching to be added in2013, a International Softball Federation President Don Porter pronounced hisorganization was “exploring a possibility” of a corner bid with baseball,though he pronounced no preference has been taken.
The emanate is approaching to be upon a agenda when officials from a twofederations meet this week at a SportAccord.
After being dropped from a Olympics, ball has focused upon increasinginterest in a World Baseball Classic, that is mutually owned by Major LeagueBaseball as well as a Major League Baseball Players Association, as well as a baseballWorld Cup. Many of a games in a 22-team World Cup were played in Europe,which Fraccari sees as a next large marketplace for a sport.
“If we look at Europe, it is a large potential market,” he said. “There ismoney. There have been great organizations as well as a clever genius of sport.”
Fraccari pronounced Iran as well as Iraq have approached him about starting baseballprograms, as well as he pronounced most alternative Middle Eastern countries also suggest potentialbecause they have great weather, American change as well as accessible land.
“I think we have a event to rise ball there,” he said.
Among a obstacles to returning ball to a Olympics is a warding off ofMLB as well as a players’ association to make vital leaguers accessible to Olympicteams. The season can’t be extended because of continue issues in March andNovember, as well as government as well as a union haven’t been peaceful to cutregular-season games, that would reduce revenue.
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