LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The World Baseball Softball Confederation today welcomed an announcement by the Olympic Channel that baseball and softball will have a presence on the Olympic Channel. The new, ground-breaking digital platform where fans can experience the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games all year-round is available worldwide via mobile apps for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com.

As part of the cooperation agreement between the Olympic Channel and WBSC, baseball and softball will have dedicated sections on the Olympic Channel:

WBSC will share international baseball and softball content to help drive diverse populations, particularly younger digital users and fans of the bat-and-ball sport, to the innovative channel, while also cross-promoting/introducing baseball and softball -- and its shared values with the Olympic Movement -- to new global audiences who visit the Olympic Channel.

"Placing a spotlight on Olympic sports and athletes outside of the Games themselves is one of the key priorities of the Olympic Channel, and we look forward to working with WBSC to help distribute their content and extend their reach to fans around the world," said Mark Parkman, General Manager of the Olympic Channel.

WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said: "WBSC is very honoured about this opportunity to have exciting international baseball and softball content shared on such a prestigious and innovative global multi-platform.  Not only is this a great promotional vehicle for baseball and softball, it also represents a new dimension in disseminating the Olympic message to the world -- and connecting with our sport's millions of athletes and loyal fans in over 140 countries."

The collaboration between the Olympic Channel and the WBSC follows the recent decision of the International Olympic Committee to add baseball and softball events to the Official Programme of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.