Pyongyang: The president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is currently visiting North Korea, as reported by the country's state media on Sunday. The visit, led by Riccardo Fraccari, marks a significant interaction between the international sports federation and the isolated nation, although specific details of the visit have not been disclosed.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a delegation from the WBSC, headed by Fraccari, arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday. The group was welcomed at the airport by Park Chon-jong, who serves as the vice minister of physical culture and sports in North Korea. This visit comes on the heels of the WBSC's executive board approving new memberships, including North Korea's Baseball Association and the Baseball and Softball Federation of Luxembourg.
The announcement noted that all new memberships, including that of North Korea, are pending final endorsement at the upcoming WBSC Congress, which is scheduled to be held in Bangkok in October. Despite the new membership, baseball and softball are not widely popular sports within North Korea, making this development particularly intriguing.
Fraccari's visit to North Korea aligns with his previous expressions of interest in promoting baseball in the region, as evidenced during his visit to South Korea in 2014. This engagement is part of ongoing efforts by the WBSC to expand the reach and influence of baseball and softball across the globe.