Baseball without bats or gloves was played in Burundi ©WBSC

A form of baseball which does not use bats or gloves was played at the Friendship Games in Burundi's capital Bujumbura.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) staged the variant of the sport - based on the "4 Esquinas" game played on the streets of Havana in Cuba - at the children's event in the African country.

Run by Peace and Sport, the Friendship Games featured up to 200 youngsters from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in a bid to promote sport in poor areas.

The different form of baseball was introduced to fit in with the goal of adapting sport to the social, economic and geographical environment in which it is played.

During the Games, a delegation from the WBSC and the French Baseball Softball Federation held workshops and gave baseball demonstrations. 

"WBSC is honoured to have been a part of this very meaningful event, and we commend Peace and Sport for this much-needed initiative," said WBSC President Ricardo Fraccari. 

"The Friendship Games are a source of inspiration for the children of the Great Lakes region, and we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to introduce the basic principles of baseball/softball while helping bring joy and smiles across the participants' faces.

The Friendship Games are held in the African Great Lakes region ©Peace and Sport
The Friendship Games are held in the African Great Lakes region ©Peace and Sport

"Baseball and softball are played by millions of youth around the world and by people of all backgrounds, and it was particularly pleasing to learn about the speed and enthusiasm with which participants and children picked up the game. 

"Bringing our sport to children throughout Africa and introducing exciting and fun new ways to experience our sport is key to helping us achieve our vision of building a billion-strong baseball/softball community by 2024. 

"Africa is a very important location for the WBSC, where we are witnessing the sport being embraced and seeing increased participation levels."

Other governing bodies were also involved at the Friendship Games, including the International Association of Athletics Federations, the International Basketball Federation, the International Boxing Association, the International Table Soccer Federation, the International Table Tennis Federation, the World Karate Federation and World Taekwondo.

"The Friendship Games was a great occasion for Peace and Sport and WBSC to launch street baseball, a simple, cheap and accessible sport that can be easily played by youngsters from disadvantaged communities," said Peace and Sport chief executive Laurent Dupont. 

"We were proud to see that both organisations share the same vision about simple sport, meaning that sport can be adapted and made from basic materials in order to make it accessible for all."