The 3rd WBSC Congress officially opened on Thursday , with the Mayor of the City of Sakai, Hideki Nagafuji, delivering a welcome speech to the 330 delegates present at the Agora Regency Hotel.
“Welcome to Sakai. Baseball is very popular here in Sakai city. The city has produced a lot of professional baseball players. It’s a great honour to host this Congress here, in our city,” said Mr Nagafuji.
“Next year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Japan. Please accept my wishes for the best success on the Congress and further prosperity for baseball and softball”.
Finally, Mr Nagafuji invited the WBSC members from around the world to enjoy the city and its attractions. “Our city has also many cultural attractions for our unique history, such as our handcrafted knives, the tea ceremony, or the matcha green tea. You can also join our city tours to know Sakai. It would be my great pleasure if you come back again in the future to enjoy Sakai. Thank you very much for being here.”
