During the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, to be held in Milano Cortina, the Association of Portuguese-Speaking National Olympic Committees (ACOLOP) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding which, amongst other areas, paves the way for a strong commitment to Baseball5 as a tool for sporting and social development across the Portuguese-speaking world. The agreement, signed on 6 February 2026, provides for technical support, events and community programmes that will facilitate the introduction and expansion of this innovative sport amongst the National Olympic Committees and federations of Portuguese-speaking countries.
Baseball5 is the urban, five-a-side, five-inning version of baseball/softball, designed to be played anywhere with just a rubber ball, without the need for bats, gloves or specific facilities. Dynamic, fast-paced and easily adaptable to urban and school settings, Baseball5 was designed to increase access to sport, particularly amongst children and young people, including those in disadvantaged communities.
Under the Memorandum, the WBSC undertakes to provide training and development in baseball and softball during ACOLOP events, such as the Lusophone Games, which includes the possibility of incorporating Baseball5 into training programmes for coaches, officials and instructors from member countries. The international organisation will also support the creation of global community programmes, in which Baseball5 is an ideal sport due to its simplicity, low cost and strong focus on gender inclusion, given that it is played in mixed teams.
The Memorandum also provides for support for the establishment and recognition of new national baseball/softball federations in Portuguese-speaking countries that do not yet have such structures, creating the institutional conditions for Baseball5 to be integrated into national federation systems and Olympic programmes. ACOLOP also undertakes to consider baseball/softball, including Baseball5, as a competitive sport in future editions of the Lusophone Games from 2025 onwards, as well as to support its inclusion in major multi-sport events, in linewith the growing recognition of Baseball5 within the youth Olympic movement.
