World Baseball Softball Confederation president observes practice match in N. Korea

The president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), currently visiting Pyongyang, has observed a practice match and met with North Korea's sports minister, the North's state media reported Wednesday. A WBSC delegation headed by Riccardo Fraccari observed a five-member practice baseball match the previous day, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), in what is seen as efforts to promote baseball and softball in the North. The move came after an article posted on the WBSC website recently showed the confederation's executive board approved new members — North Korea's Baseball Association and the Baseball and Softball Federation of Luxembourg. All new memberships are subject to final endorsement at the upcoming WBSC Congress to be held in Bangkok in October, it said. Fraccari, who arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday, also held talks with the North's Olympic Committee Chairman and Sports Minister Kim Il-guk the previous day, the KCNA said. While the state media outlet did not provide further details, they are widely viewed to have discussed sports cooperationWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times