• Submitted by: admin
• Caribbean
• Havana
• international
• personalities
• Society
• Sports
• 06 / 28 / 2008

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“We are doing everything possible and we are optimistic,” said Schiller during a press conference that closed a three-day visit to Havana, where he met with local sports authorities.

Schiller explained that a meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October of 2009, will determine if baseball returns or not to the Olympic program.

The IBAF President said that their main goal now is to guarantee an excellent Olympic baseball competition in Beijing next August. He added that top priorities on the IBAF agenda are also the 2nd World Baseball Classic in March 2009 and the World Cup that takes place next September in Europe.

Schiller added that priority is also being given to the anti-doping control. “The Federation has increased the number of control tests,” he noted and stressed that IBAF is working with the more than 100 member countries to solve the criticisms made by the IOC in this regard.

“We are also working with the Major Leagues to make this possible,” Schiller pointed out.

The top baseball authority added that IBAF is working to take the practice of the sport to regions of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America where baseball is not so popular yet.

“This has been one of the goals of my visit to Havana: to take advantage of your experience to increase efforts to develop baseball in all regions,” Schiller stressed.

The IBAF President thanked the local sports authorities for their support and announced another visit to continue this work.     

(www.cubanews.ain.cu)