This morning marked the start of the Baseball5 coaching course, featuring two professionals from the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) as instructors. Pablo Leone and Andrea D’Auria are conducting the training, visiting WBSC member countries to empower local federations with certified Baseball5 instructors and coaches. The course was organized through IBiSA, in collaboration with the Aruban Olympic Committee (COA) and the WBSC.
The course brings together around 25 participants, including a strong presence of Physical Education and Health teachers, alongside IBiSA instructors and members of the local federations—the Aruba Baseball Association (ABBA) and the Aruba Softball Bond (ASB). This core group will be responsible for developing and promoting Baseball5 across primary schools and the wider community. Baseball5 will feature in the School Games (Weganan Escolar) and has also been added to the Interinsular Games program, starting with the games in Bonaire in early 2027.
Alongside the Baseball5 instructors, the event was attended by Victor Isola (WBSC Americas Liaison) and Marco Ienna (WBSC Chief Operating Officer), who traveled to Aruba for the course and, crucially, to meet with local Baseball and Softball federations to help advance sports development policy. Representing the WBSC as well was Randolph Oduber, who is part of the Aruban team working on the development of Baseball5 on the island.
COA expressed its delight in seeing Baseball5 gain momentum, noting that it is a highly accessible sport requiring minimal equipment and space—an ideal combination for recreational use in schools and neighborhoods. Furthermore, it is an internationally played discipline that will soon be included in multi-sport games programs. Best wishes go out to the WBSC and all participants for the three-day course, marking the first step toward an Aruba where Baseball5 is played in every corner of the island.
