Korea Baseball Softball Association hosts Baseball5 Officials and Instructors Seminar in Seoul
The Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) hosted a Baseball5 Officials and Instructors Seminar from 30 to 31 May at Jinmyeong Girls’ High School gymnasium in Seoul, Korea.
The seminar was organised to train instructors who will take part in the Youth Sports Infrastructure Programme, scheduled to be implemented in 2026, as well as officials who will be appointed to domestic and international Baseball5 events. Beyond developing personnel for competitions, KBSA also used the seminar to present its long-term vision for Baseball5 development by providing practical teaching methods that can be applied in elementary, middle and high school physical education classes.
Baseball5, an urban, mixed-gender discipline that can be played with a rubber ball on a 21-metre square court, offers an accessible and dynamic version of baseball and softball for all ages and genders. The discipline has been included on the sports programme of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, while the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) continues to promote Baseball5 globally through the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup and WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup, held in alternating years.
KBSA has also been actively supporting the growth of Baseball5 by sending national teams to Asian Cups and World Cups, while expanding grassroots development efforts to enrich school physical education classes. The association aims to further promote Baseball5 in schools and support its future inclusion in the National School Sports Club Festival.
As part of these efforts, KBSA has produced and distributed Baseball5 instruction manuals and video materials designed to help school teachers and instructors easily introduce the discipline to students. During the seminar, participants received hands-on training from expert instructors and learned how to apply the materials in real teaching and training environments.
The officials’ seminar, which was held to appoint officials for this year’s national Baseball5 competitions and international events, covered the latest Baseball5 rules and competition operations. The programme also included sessions focused on strengthening communication skills, one of the key competencies required for officials working at international competitions.
In line with the efforts of WBSC, Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) and Softball Asia to enhance the international competitiveness and operational capacity of technical officials, KBSA invited WBSC Media and Digital & Innovation Coordinator Rebecca (Eun Ji) Shin to deliver a practical English communication session. The session focused on expressions and communication skills that officials can use in meetings and on the field during international events.
KBSA will continue its domestic Baseball5 competition calendar with the Peace Unification Cup in Inje in June and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President’s National Baseball5 Tournament in Hoengseong in July. The winners of the two events will then compete in the Emart No Brand Cup Championship in October.
Photo Credit by the Korea Baseball Softball Association
