NAN-S-1
Baseball
By Kemi Ajayi
Lagos, March 3, 2017 (NAN) The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has launched a youth commission to reposition baseball and softball at the youth level.
A statement on the WBSC website on Friday said the commission was approved by the executive committee of the body in Rome.
WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said the commission was put in place to research, develop and recommend innovations to attract youth’s participation.
“The aim of the newly formed commission is to leverage the popularity of baseball and softball among youth, to meet the objectives of WBSC.
“We want existing members to connect with future generations of athletes, while strengthening the presence and access to the sport in both traditional and new territories.
“With the return to the Olympic Games in 2020, this is an important time to grow our sport.
“The new youth commission will help our sport to grow globally and ensure that baseball and softball remain relevant and appealing to young people,’’ it quoted Fraccari as saying.
The statement said that the U.S. Baseball Executive Director, Paul Seiler, was appointed Chairman of the new commission.
WBSC estimates that 65 million male and female athletes in over 140 countries play baseball and softball, with the majority of the young athletes between the ages of five to 21. (NAN)
KOA/FLP/SN
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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Silas Nwoha