- Team EBSM
WBSC Europe Board
On February 12, 2022, the newly formed WBSC Europe elected their first Executive Board during the General Congress held in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Krunoslav Karin becomes the first president in WBSC Europe history. Karin is a 60-year old Croatian who has previously served as secretary general of both the WBSC Europe and the Confederation of European Baseball.
One of the only co-presidents to ever run the WBSC Europe, Gabriel Waage, former president of the European Softball Federation, will now represent the European softball community, as well as the Czech Republic, as the WBSC Europe Softball Vice President.
Petr Ditrich, former president of the Czech Baseball Association, will serve as the WBSC Europe Baseball Vice President.
Not pictured is the new treasurer, Belgium's Eddy Van Straelen. Formerly the treasurer of the the European Softball Federation since 1993, Van Straelen remains in the position as the organization folds into the WBSC Europe.
Israel's Ami Baran, formerly legal counselor of the WBSC Europe and the European Softball Federation's secretary general, will now serve as Secretary General to the WBSC Europe.
Italy's Riccardo Fraccari, President of the WBSC, was on-hand overseeing the election process.
Kristian Palvia, former secretary general of the Swedish Baseball and Softball Federation was elected to the Board as a softball member at large. Alongside Palvia was Dane Mette Nissen-Jakobsen. Nissen-Jakobsen was appointed to both the 2014 New Zealand World Commission on Baseball and the 2016 WBSC Development Commission. Bulgarian Youri Alkalay, former vice president of the European Softball Federation and president of the Bulgarian Softball Federation, round out softball's representation.
From France Francois Collet, formerly the director of communications for the Confederation of European Baseball and the French Baseball and Softball Federation, becomes a baseball member at large. Lithuania's Virmidas Neverauskas, father to former Pittsburgh hurler Dovydas Neverauskas and president of the Lithuania Baseball League, joins him. Former secretary of the German Baseball Softball Federation, named Executive of the Year by the WBSC, Juergen Elsishans rounds out baseball's representatives.
Still to be named to the board are two athlete representatives.