Dallas (Texas-USA) The XXVI Congress of the IBAF was the right occasion to present the awards of the Honors Program, inaugurated by the International Federation in the 1980s. The awarding ceremony happened during the Gala dinner, hosted by the Texas Rangers at their ballpark in Arlington.
The Umpires of the Year went to 2010 Keisuke Kotani of Japan (the home plate umpire of the gold medal game during the Intercontinental Cup) and to 2011 Adam Dowdy of the USA (Home plate umpire for the gold medal game during the World Cup.
"As an umpire" commented Kotani "It is already a great honor to be involved in various international tournaments including, in particular, those of IBAF. I will treasure the prestigious Award and would like to thank all the people who are working hard through IBAF for the good of baseball"
Dowdy said: “I would like to thank the International Baseball Federation for this prestigious award. I am deeply honored to be selected as the 2011 IBAF Umpire of the Year. We umpires know, going into each game, that we have a thankless job of being consistent and fair, and the best umpires are those who go seemingly unnoticed on the field. I am proud to be recognized by the IBAF as having represented my peers well. The level at which the game of baseball is played has dramatically improved around the world over the last decade, and I hope to have future opportunities to umpire international events, to educate aspiring umpires, and to be a part of improving the high level of officiating as we all strive to restore baseball as a recognized Olympic sport."
The Coaches of the Year were for 2010 Eduard S. Martin (Cuba), who won the Intercontinental Cup, and for 2011 Brian Farley (The Netherlands) who won the World Cup.
Brian Farley commented: “I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to the International Baseball Federation for awarding me as the Coach of the Year for 2011. As my fellow coaches know all too well, the best coaches have the best players. I am also extremely grateful to my technical, medical and support staff who are responsible for a great deal of our success and so I wish to share this award with them. It is indeed a great honor to receive this award knowing the caliber of my peers in the world of international baseball. Our success will hopefully act as a catalyst for bringing more youth players into the game of baseball not only in The Netherlands but throughout Europe. This, in turn, will hopefully succeed in changing the landscape for baseball in the future and usher in a return to the Olympic agenda”.
The Federation of the Year was for 2010 Chinese Taipei (hosted the Intercontinental Cup and won the AAA World Cup) and for 2011 Panama (hosted the World Cup).
The Junior Athlete of the Year was for 2010 Wei Tzu Lin of Chinese Taipei (MVP and All Star third baseman of the AAA World Cup) and for 2011 Zachary Collins of the USA (MVP, best home run hitter and All Star catcher of the AA World Cup).
Wei Tzu Lin said: “I would like to thank the board of the International Baseball Federation for selecting me as the 2010 IBAF junior player of the year, It is a true honor to be recognized as the best Junior athlete out of hundreds of outstanding players from around the world. This award will further encourage me to continue to train hard and to perform well in the field. I am proud to be recognized by the International baseball community as having represented my country well on the international stage. I will definitely work hard and hopefully represent my country again in future IBAF events and maintain the dream of one day playing in the Olympic Games"
Collins commented: “This is a dream come true. There is a difference between just playing baseball and the opportunity to represent your country at this level and win this award."
The Senior Athlete of the Year was for 2010 Hector A. Olivera of Cuba (MVP, best batting average and All Star second baseman of the Intercontinental Cup) and for 2011 Curt Smith of The Netherlands (MVP of the World Cup).
Curt Smith said: “It is a tremendous honor to be named the IBAF Athlete of the year. I could not have won this award without the help and encouragement of my teamates, coaches, fans, and the guidance of God. There are a lot of players who are worthy of this honor and it is a great feeling to be considered among them”.
The Woman Athlete of the Year was Ayako Rokkaku of Japan (MVP of the Women World Cup).
"I was very surprised and deeply honored to be selected as IBAF 2010 Female Athlete of the Year" explained Rokkaku "I would like to thank my coaches, team mates, officials, friends and families. Without their support, I could not have performed well and not deserved such an award. Women World cup is set for next year. I will make more efforts to be a better player and be able to contribute to the victory. Once again, I would like to show my sincere appreciation to IBAF for selecting me for this award and also, I would like to extend my appreciation to Federations, associations as well as players from all over the world who send us the heartwarming comments after the big earthquake stroke Japan in March".
The IBAF also awarded the Federations that hosted in the last 2 seasons competitions sanctioned by the organization: Baseball Canada (2010 AAA World Cup), Venezuela (2010 Women World Cup), Chinese Taipei (2010 Intercontinental Cup and 2011 12 and Under World Cup), Mexico (AA World Cup) and Panama (2011 World Cup).