Walwyn made the claim at the opening of the Harriette Skelton Fastpitch Softball League, where he urged leagues to help promote and develop the sport.

“In the next sitting of the House of Assembly, I am going to bring a resolution to the House to make softball the national sport of this country,” he told BVI Platinum News.

“A national sport is an intrinsic part of a culture of a nation and softball for us is in fact that sport.

“We need you to help us in planning games and leagues to bring back the sport to the prominence it had many years ago.”

Walwyn claimed the Department of Youth and Sports in the country have expressed their desire to boost softball at grassroots level.

He stated that he Government were keen to support softball, which had reportedly suffered a decline in the nation during recent years.

The sport has been played less in schools, but its reintroduction has been mooted in an attempt to increase the number of young players participating.

The British Virgin Islands are currently a member of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport’s governing body.

Their men’s and women’s teams are currently unranked, having not played enough fixtures.

British Virgin Islands competed in the 1988 Softball World Championships, with their men's team finishing 12th.