Dominican President Luis Abinader honours the DOM Olympic Baseball Team, calls baseball 'king of sports'

The Dominican Republic National Baseball Team, which recently qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, on Monday was welcomed to the National Palace by President Luis Abinader. 

The Dominican leader said baseball is the "king of sports" in the country and that the sport constitutes a "symbol of national unity."

The president also wished the players to see each other again "with the medals of triumph" and expressed his assurance that the team's participation "is going to be masterful."

During the meeting, Emilio Bonifacio, captain of the Dominican National Baseball team, said that there is a "110%" chance that the team will win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. "I know that for the whole team, with the support that the country has given, there is 110% that we are going to bring that medal to the Dominican Republic."

Dominican Republic became the sixth and last qualified nation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games baseball competition by winning the WBSC Final Olympic Baseball Qualifier in Puebla, Mexico.

This will be the second Olympic appearance for Dominican Republic. They finished sixth place in Barcelona 1992, where the sport made its official debut as an Olympic medal sport.