Overseas baseball training likely to be cancelled

The overseas field training of professional baseball players is expected to be cancelled for the first time in 10 years.

Presidents of the eight Korean baseball teams held an emergent directors' meeting at the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) offices Friday. At the meeting, they accepted a Thursday request from the baseball teams to cancel the overseas field training unless a consultation committee consisting of professional baseball players is created by Jan. 17.

The Jan. 17 deadline is very important because normal training would be impossible if the deadline is broken. Overseas field training requires various preparations, including the signing of contracts for the use of a baseball stadium and the purchase of baseball equipment. If the overseas training is cancelled, it would be the first time since 1991, when the Gulf War broke out.

LG already cancelled its earlier overseas field training for pitchers, which was scheduled for Vero Beach in Florida on Jan. 10. Hanwha withdrew plans for overseas field training for pitchers, which was originally scheduled to start in Arizona on Jan. 14.