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Riccardo Fraccari (born 30 May 1949 in
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
, Italy) is an international sports administrator who is the current president of the
World Baseball Softball Confederation The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the international Sports governing body, governing body for the sports of baseball, softball, Baseball5 and Blind baseball. It was established in 2013 by the merger of the International Baseba ...
(WBSC). He was previously president of the
International Baseball Federation The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) is the former international governing body of baseball. It has since been superseded by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), and continues to exist as the WBSC's baseball division. Betwee ...
(IBAF) from 2009 to 2013. Fraccari was elected as president of the IBAF in December 2009, succeeding American Harvey Schiller, and immediately set out to hold merger discussions with the
International Softball Federation Map of member states., 400px, right The International Softball Federation (ISF) is the former international governing body for the sport of softball with its world headquarters and training centre at Plant City, Florida. The ISF is a non-profit ...
. He spearheaded negotiations to consolidate international baseball and softball to establish and successfully launch the WBSC in October 2012, uniting baseball and softball's global movements and streamlining the two sports' efforts to return to the Olympic Games. He was elected the first president of the WBSC in May 2014, and was re-elected in July 2022 to serve a second seven-year term.


WBSC presidency

In less than three years since overseeing the establishment of the WBSC, Fraccari has elevated the new world ruling body to be considered among the Top 30 "Ultimate Sports Federations" in the world. Fraccari has expanded international baseball properties to include a new flagship world tournament, the WBSC Premier 12 Professional Baseball National Team Championship, and also the Under-12 Baseball World Cup and the Under-21 Baseball World Cup, which impact baseball's World Rankings. Fraccari and the WBSC were able to secure the return of baseball and softball as Olympic sports in August 2016, when the International Olympic Committee voted to reinstate them for the 2020 Tokyo Games. Under Fraccari, the world governing body for baseball also established the first-ever "Europe" team to compete in officially recognized international competitions, setting a historical precedent. In May 2018, the WBSC under Fraccari established
Baseball5 Baseball5 (B5 or BB5) is a simplified variation of baseball and softball which is governed at the international level alongside those sports by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The game revolves around two teams of five player ...
, a new street/urban baseball discipline that only requires a ball.


Controversies

In February 2015, Fraccari appointed Antonio Castro, the son of former Cuban leader
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
, as WBSC Global Ambassador and
Kenyon & Kenyon Kenyon & Kenyon LLP was a law firm specializing in intellectual property law. It competed with other IP specialty firms, as well as with most general practice firms that have IP practices. Overview The firm had offices in New York, Washington ...
Washington D.C.–based attorney Edward Colbert, brother of American political satirist
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
, as WBSC
General Counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
. Fraccari has said that FEPCUBE, an organization representing defected Cuban ballplayers, is ineligible to play in WBSC-sponsored events, as it is not recognized by the Baseball Federation of Cuba. "If they want to be part of an event sanctioned by the WBSC, they have to respect the rules, which are that the national federations make the national teams."


Other activities

Fraccari is a retired professor of organic chemistry at the Livorno Technical Institute (''Istituto Tecnico Industriale "Galileo Galilei")'' and also studied law at the
University of Pisa The University of Pisa (, UniPi) is a public university, public research university in Pisa, Italy. Founded in 1343, it is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Together with Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced S ...
. Fraccari is an advisory board member of the global sports think tank, Doha GOALS. He also serves as the current chairman of the
Italian National Olympic Committee The Italian National Olympic Committee (, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in ItalyWithin Italy, CONI recognizes 48 national ...
's (CONI) International Relations Exploratory Committee and is a member of the CONI Council. He was appointed a member of CONI's highest authoritative body, the Executive Board ("Giunta"), in August 2018. In May 2013, Fraccari was elected as the Secretary General of the
Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations The Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation constituted through and recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The ARISF's members are international spor ...
. In April 2018, Bulgaria's National Sports Academy of Sofia named Fraccari an Honorary Professor.


Personal life

Fraccari is married to a Swiss national; the couple have one son who graduated in law from LUISS "Guido Carli" University in Rome. Fraccari splits his residence between Livorno and Rome, Italy. He is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish.


Honours and decorations

* : Knight of Merit of the Italian Republic * : Italian National Olympic Committee "Gold Star of Sport Merit" * : Honorary Professor, Bulgaria National Sports Academy * : Title Honoris Causa of Bulgaria


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraccari, Ricardo 1949 births Baseball executives Presidents of the World Baseball Softball Confederation University of Pisa alumni Living people People from Pisa Italian referees and umpires