Dominican Republic approves new rules to regulate professional and recreational baseball

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic’s Executive Branch has approved new regulations governing professional and recreational baseball, as well as academies, leagues and player development programs nationwide.

Decree No. 601-26, dated August 26, establishes rules designed to protect participants, promote transparency and integrity, and strengthen government oversight of the sport. The Directorate of the National Baseball Commissioner, a decentralized agency under the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, will oversee implementation.

The regulations create a National Baseball System Registry to register and monitor leagues, teams, players, academies, agencies, representatives, coaches, umpires, scouts and other stakeholders. They also establish requirements for professional contracts, player transfers, team and league registration, and protections for informed consent and contractual rights.

For recreational baseball, the rules cover player and team registration, event organization, coach and umpire certification, facility safety and liability insurance. They also promote athlete development programs and coordination with the Dominican Baseball Federation.

A major focus is the protection of young athletes and prospects. Academies must meet standards for safety, health, nutrition, housing, transportation, supervision and medical care. Special safeguards for minors prohibit abuse, exploitation, harassment, discrimination, neglect and deceptive recruitment practices, while requiring that baseball activities not interfere with education, health, rest or overall development.

The regulations also address doping, conflicts of interest and competition manipulation. Authorities will have the power to conduct inspections, investigate complaints and impose corrective or preventive measures when serious risks to athletes’ health, safety or rights are identified, while respecting due process and the right to a defense.

The framework also provides for institutional coordination, statistical reporting and dispute-resolution mechanisms, including conciliation, mediation and arbitration. It will take effect upon publication in the Official Gazette.