Riccardo Fraccari was previously president of the International Baseball Federation from 2009 to 2013.
13 Facts About Riccardo Fraccari
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Riccardo Fraccari 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.
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Riccardo Fraccari 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.
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In less than three years since overseeing the establishment of the WBSC, Riccardo Fraccari has elevated the new world ruling body to be considered among the Top 30 "Ultimate Sports Federations" in the world.
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Riccardo Fraccari has expanded international baseball properties to include a new flagship world tournament, the WBSC Premier 12 Professional Baseball National Team Championship, and the Under-12 Baseball World Cup and the Under-21 Baseball World Cup, which impact baseball's World Rankings.
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Riccardo 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.
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Riccardo Fraccari is a retired professor of organic chemistry at the Livorno Technical Institute and studied law at the University of Pisa.
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Riccardo Fraccari is an advisory board member of the global sports think tank, Doha GOALS.
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Riccardo Fraccari serves as the current chairman of the Italian National Olympic Committee's International Relations Exploratory Committee and is a member of the CONI Council.
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Riccardo Fraccari was appointed a member of CONI's highest authoritative body, the Executive Board, in August 2018.
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In May 2013, Riccardo Fraccari was elected as the Secretary General of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.
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Riccardo Fraccari is married to a Swiss national; the couple have one son who graduated in law from LUISS "Guido Carli" University in Rome.
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Riccardo Fraccari is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish.