Baseball5 featured alongside taekwondo competitions at the first THF Hopes and Dreams Sport Festival held in Jordan last month month giving refugees and displaced persons the opportunity to compete in both sports.

The Festival was organised by the THF and World Taekwondo in partnership with the WBSC, reflecting the increased collaboration between the three organisations.

The THF has hosted Hope and Dreams events in the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps since 2021, but this marked an expansion to a multi-sport festival.

The Festival took place in the Azraq Refugee Camp and Jordan’s capital Amman, with around 300 young refugee athletes competing, including a refugee team from Afghanistan.

There were Baseball5 and taekwondo demonstrations, as well as an exchange with refugee participants and games.

The next day there was a Hope and Dreams Refugee Taekwondo Championships for cadet and junior categories, followed in the afternoon by a Baseball5 Championship and Taekwondo Championships for senior categories.

“I am proud and enthusiastic to have been able to attend the inaugural Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan and witness first-hand how Baseball5 can be an excellent tool to promote inclusivity and team building, especially in under privileged communities, as well as seeing how important sport in general is in combating social inequality and promoting peace, well-being and social inclusion,” Fraccari said.

"Sport is so much more than just a game; it teaches fundamental skills and principles that are critical to becoming a good global citizen.

"The WBSC believes that all should have access to sport, no matter their background, so we remain fully committed to continuing our partnership with the THF and World Taekwondo to provide opportunities for displaced people through sport."

THF chairman and World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue hoped that other sports would follow the WBSC and take part in future events.

"We are delighted to have hosted this Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in partnership with the WBSC," he said.

"We have always been clear that our commitment to empowering refugees goes beyond taekwondo and that we want to partner with other sports to expand the opportunities we are providing to those who need it most.

"By implementing such humanitarian efforts, World Taekwondo plans to elevate taekwondo's status from a widely watched and enjoyed world sport to one that makes social contributions and spreads the message of peace worldwide."

Representatives from the Association of Summer Olympic International Federation, UNHCR, and the International University Sports Federation, were also in attendance.

The WBSC’s support of the Festival follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with World Taekwondo and THF in 2020, to promote humanitarian, social inclusion, peace and development-supporting activities.

The WBSC has since worked closely with the THF and its training academy in Azraq to bring Baseball5 to young people who have fled the war in neighbouring Syria.

The sport is being used to encourage social inclusion and teamwork, while promoting health and well-being through physical activity.