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Juba – Al Wadi Newspaper
The Republic of South Sudan has officially joined the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), becoming the newest member of the global baseball community. The membership of the South Sudan Baseball and Softball Association (SSBSA) was approved during the 6th WBSC Congress, held in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 18.
South Sudan was represented at the congress by Peter Daniel Deng, Secretary-General of the SSBSA, who expressed his pride in the country’s admission to the international federation, describing it as a historic milestone in the nation’s sports development journey.
The WBSC currently includes 191 national federations and 15 associate members from 141 countries and territories, making South Sudan one of the newest nations to join the global baseball and softball community.
The South Sudan Baseball and Softball Association was founded in 2019 by Peter Daniel Deng and Shinya Tomonari, the former head of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in South Sudan. The association began as a small community initiative in Juba, aiming to instill discipline, respect, and teamwork among youth through sports.
Over the years, the association has implemented several programs to promote the game in schools, most notably the “Together for Baseball and Softball” program. It also organized the South Sudan Independence Cup for Baseball and Softball, a national high school tournament designed to promote unity through sport.
Collaboration with the Japan-Africa Baseball and Softball Foundation (J-ABS) has played a key role in supporting young South Sudanese players to compete in regional tournaments in Tanzania and Uganda.
In December 2022, South Sudan’s national team achieved a remarkable feat by winning the Tanzania Baseball Tournament undefeated, finishing with a perfect record and claiming a historic 21–8 victory over the Tanzanian national team.
South Sudan’s admission to the WBSC marks a significant step toward developing baseball and softball in the country and opens new opportunities for young athletes to participate in regional and international competitions.
