The WBSC Oceania, formerly known as Baseball Confederation of Oceania (abbreviated as BCO), is the governing body of baseball and softball within Oceania, and is responsible for the Oceania Baseball Championship.
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, and American influence, particularly following the war. The Japanese influenced was most pronounced in Micronesia, particularly Palau.[1]
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.
Oceania has sent representatives to the World Baseball Classic five times: Australia competing in all five editions. Of these, only in 2023 did Australia progress beyond the first round.
^Guam were scheduled to participate in the 2004 tournament with Australia, but withdrew prior to the start. The BCO awarded the championship to Australia.
^New Zealand were scheduled to participate in the 2007 tournament with Australia, but withdrew prior to the start. The BCO awarded the championship to Australia.
^The 2019 edition was an under-19 tournament before reverting back to under-18 the following edition.
References
^Baseball in Palau: Passion for the Game. Shuster, Donald ed. (Guam: University of Guam, 2008), pgs 5-10
^"Events". WBSC Oceania. Retrieved 8 November 2023.