By R. Vincent Tupaz
For Variety

THE umbrella organization tasked with ensuring the advancement of baseball on Guam in the local, regional and Olympic arena has failed its constituency. Thus island ballplayers may not have a right to represent Guam in baseball via participation in this year’s South Pacific Games and other like venues.
Yesterday the Guam National Olympic Committee and the Baseball Confederation of Oceania were left with little choice but to suspend the Guam Federation “for failure to meet national and international obligations.”
The GNOC and the BCO took strong action against the Guam Baseball Federation. In separate statements offered by the GNOC and BCO, the Federation was slammed for not adhering to certain sanctions and conduct as the island’s representative organization of the sport of baseball and was suspended.
According to a statement from the BCO, with the suspension, “the GBF has lost all rights, privileges and benefits that it obtains by being a member of the BCO, the Oceania Baseball Family and the Olympic Family.”
“In practical terms, this means that as the SPG is an event sanctioned by the BCO (and therefore the IBAF), that Guam cannot enter a baseball team in the SPG,” stated the release from the BCO.
The GNOC for its part followed the BCO’s lead as they agreed to formally announce the suspension of the GBF. “It is unfortunate that the GBF has left the GNOC with no other option on this matter,” stated a release from the GNOC late yesterday afternoon.
The GNOC added, “The loss of membership stemming from this suspension is very serious, affecting the ability of Guam Baseball to engage in any activities outside of Guam. Furthermore, no other recognized National Federation under the umbrella of the IBAF and BCO can engage in any level of competition prohibited under this notice.”
Among other charges levied against the GBF in addition to a failure to satisfy a prior monetary sanction of four thousand dollars, the GNOC noted that Federation representatives had failed to attend the required 50 percent of GNOC monthly meetings. As well, the GNOC noted that a lack of Guam participation in qualifiers or competitions dating back to 2003 including the World Cup hosted by the Cuban Baseball Federation, the BCO Triple A Oceania Championships in Palau in 2004; and the 2004 Olympic Qualifier for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. “On numerous occasions Mark Charfauros in a meeting with the GNOC President, clearly stated that he had the financial backing to participate at the World Cup, the Triple A and the BCO Olympic Qualifier. On all three occasions he used various excuses in his attempt to justify Guam’s NON-participation or ‘NO-SHOW’ at these events,” stated the GNOC.
The sanctions offered by the GNOC and BCO could trickle down to the Little League level as an agreement is being sought to develop a united world-wide approach to the development of baseball whereby the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and organization such as Little League would recognize the authority and role each organization played and that accordingly any sanction imposed by one would be honored by the other.
BCO President John Ostermeyer stated that the “GBF has placed itself outside the Baseball family; this means that any/all competition with any baseball member federation of the BCO/IBAF is expressly prohibited. This includes friendly/junior games. It means teams from Guam cannot play in any event off-island.”
The GBF as recognized and formed via the GNOC combined the Guam Baseball League and the Guam Major League under one governing umbrella.
The suspension of the GBF from the GNOC/BCO comes on the heels of an axed agreement by the Department of Parks and Recreation regarding the Paseo Stadium. DPR maintains that the GBF failed to meet its obligations as well in a lease agrement.