The WBSC Oceania, formerly known as Baseball Confederation of Oceania (abbreviated as BCO), is the governing body of

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

within

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

, and is responsible for the

Oceania Baseball Championship The Oceania Baseball Championship is contested between participating baseball federations in Oceania. It is sanctioned by the Baseball Confederation of Oceania (BCO). In , the New Zealand team withdrew from the tournament, giving Australia an aut ...

. The Baseball Confederation of Oceania was established in 1989, it currently has 14 member nations. Not all member nations are represented in the executive committee which creates conflict within the region. The lesser countries tend not to support regional tournaments which contributes negatively to the growth of the sport in the region. Ray Brown, the BCO Development Officer, provides support throughout the region. Since 2006, the BCO has run a Regional Training Centre for aspiring players. Run for approximately 10 days, the RTC is open to players 14-18 who want to perform at a higher level. In 2006, the RTC was held in Auckland, New Zealand. In 2007, it was held in Christchurch, New Zealand.

History

Baseball arrived in most parts of Oceania as a result of Japanese influence prior to and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and American influence, particularly following the war. The Japanese influenced was most pronounced in Micronesia, particularly Palau.''Baseball in Palau: Passion for the Game''. Shuster, Donald ed. (Guam: University of Guam, 2008), pgs 5-10 The Baseball Confederation of Oceania was established in 1989, it currently has 14 member nations. The organisation adopted a policy of sharing the rights to hold BCO Tournaments between the northern and southern Oceania areas, on an alternative basis. Either New Zealand or Australia should hold the 18U BCO playoffs in 2015 since Guam held them in 2012. It is likely that New Zealand will hold this tournament due to the cancelling of the 15U tournament which was to be held in Auckland, New Zealand early in 2015. The cancellation was of huge disappointment to the New Zealand Baseball organisation and community. The game in New Zealand is growing significantly, which is important for the overall region and Baseball NZ had organised the local cable television company SkyTV to show some of the games lives to boost the sports profile.

Members

WBSC World Rankings

Overview

References

External links