The World Children’s Baseball Fair – WCBF (????????), a non-profit organization, was established in 1989 by World Home Run Kings Sadaharu Oh and Hank Aaron along with Dr. Akiko Agishi. The WCBF was established in the interest of fostering an environment of world understanding and cultural exchange through the celebration of baseball, which was an Olympic Medal Sport for the first time in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Recognizing that the sport of baseball promotes teamwork, good health, discipline and friendship, Mr. Oh and Mr. Aaron conceived the idea of the WCBF as a means of creating goodwill and fellowship among the children of the world.

The WCBF inaugural event was held in Los Angeles in 1990 at UCLA and Jackie Robinson Stadium. Today, over 4500 participants, 85 countries, from 5 continents have attended this global event!  This summer, the World Children’s Baseball Fair – North America, The World Children’s Baseball Foundation of Japan, and the City of Kaohsiung, in association with the International Baseball Federation, will host the 21st Annual World Children’s Baseball Fair in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from July 27th to August 4th, 2011. The event will include six baseball clinics, meeting local school kids and sharing in cultural exchange events, and of course interaction with all the WCBF participants from 20 countries/regions.

During the week-long event, the children will have the opportunity to learn the correct, BASIC SKILLS of baseball, with emphasis on fun and participation. This is a time for the children to enjoy and share their love of baseball. The clinics are run by coaches who are selected by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Regardless of their levels of experience, the kids learn a lot! After the morning clinics, the children and chaperones participate in educational and recreational excursions and activities.

The children (with their chaperones) from all the countries are housed together and this enhances the opportunities for getting to know one another. Cultural and language barriers fade quickly! Every year the only sad occasion is when all these new friends have to say farewell. The kids, chaperones, local hosts, assistant coaches and everyone involved with the event form really tight bonds in this short time and so there are usually a few tears when the time comes to return back to their homes and families far away. But the connections have been made and these kids will forever be changed by this wonderful experience.

Participants can be 10 and 11 years old (at the time of the event), boy or girl, in good health, with good sense of sportsmanship. The participants should love baseball, but any experience level is fine – no special skills are required. (Travel dates will be (tentatively) departure from the USA on July 26, and returning on Aug 4.)

????????????????????-????Hank Aaron????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??1990?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????20???????185???????????????????? (IBAF)??????????????????????????????????10?????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????? (7/27-8/4????????????21?2011?????????)

For more information: http://www.wcbf.org ‘)}