Baseball and softball were added to the Games programme for Tokyo 2020, alongside karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.

The five extra sports, which do not replace any of the 28 already on the Tokyo schedule, will include 18 events and involve hundreds of extra athletes

Fraccari is now looking forward to the honour of showcasing baseball/softball on the world’s greatest stage again after the sport was axed following Beijing 2008.

“The decision is an important milestone in the sport’s history and momentous for baseball/softball’s estimated 65 million athletes in over 140 countries, as well as millions more fans around the world," said Fraccari.

"On behalf of the WBSC and all the athletes, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Tokyo 2020 leadership for putting their faith in our sport to begin with; to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, whose Olympic Agenda 2020 vision has made this opportunity a reality; and to all IOC members for recognising the valuable contribution the sport can make to the Olympic Movement."

All five of the added sports were initially proposed by Tokyo 2020 organisers before being officially approved at the IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro prior to the Olympic Games.

A key part of baseball/softball’s popularity is said to be the universality of the sport, with officials claiming it "offers an accessible route for young people all over the world to play and stay in sport".

The sports have a global reach, with loyal fan-bases in some of the most important sports markets on the planet, in particular 2020 Olympic hosts Japan where baseball is widely considered to be the number one sport in the country. 

The WBSC Premier 12 was Japan’s most-watched international sports tournament in 2015 and in June 2016 a record crowd attended the opening game of the WBSC-sanctioned international softball series between Japan and the United States at the Tokyo Dome.

There are question marks, however, about whether players from the world's best league, North America's Major League Baseball (MLB), will compete at the Olympics with six-team tournaments currently planned.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said: "We are excited about the IOC’s announcement restoring Baseball and Softball to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

"Baseball and Softball are global sports that belong in the Olympics.

"We are grateful to the IOC Executive Board, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation for their collective efforts, which will allow fans throughout the world to again enjoy Baseball and Softball on the Olympic stage."