In the vibrant city of Hong Kong, the 2024 Baseball5 World Cup concluded with an exciting finale, featuring a notable figure from the South Pacific. Inoke Niubalavu, a former prominent player for Fiji’s national baseball team, stepped into a new role as an umpire for the bronze medal match between France and Venezuela. This came after a week of officiating 15 pool games and utilizing an online scoring application throughout the tournament, marking the second edition of the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup.
Niubalavu’s path from the baseball fields of Fiji to the global platform of Baseball5 highlights the sport’s expanding international reach and the opportunities it offers to passionate individuals worldwide. His baseball journey began in the early 2000s at the MLB Australian Academy in 2002, where he quickly gained recognition as a significant player for the Fijian national team. He notably excelled at the 2003 South Pacific Games with a remarkable .529 batting average and six runs scored, which was double that of any of his teammates. Niubalavu went on to represent Fiji at the 2007 Pacific Games in Samoa and the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia, demonstrating his commitment to the sport.
By 2009, Niubalavu had transitioned into a management role as the Development Officer for the Fiji Islands Baseball Association, marking the start of his administrative career in sports.
Looking forward, Niubalavu is determined to advance Baseball5 in Fiji, particularly as the sport prepares to make its debut at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. He aims to ready Fiji’s youth Baseball5 team for the upcoming qualifiers. With Baseball5’s popularity on the rise and the next World Cup set for Italy in 2026, alongside plans to expand the tournament to 16 teams, Niubalavu’s contributions as a national leader and international official place him in a pivotal position in the sport’s development.