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Foster youth with baseball! ──What is “African Koshien” aiming to be held in 55 countries and regions of the African Continent | nippon.com

The passion of a Japanese man who was obsessed with the fascination of baseball was well received in Africa, and with the cooperation of former major leaguer Hideki Matsui, he is about to bear fruit as “African Koshien”. We asked Shinya Tomonari, the heat source, about all the absurd plans and why baseball was accepted in the scorching land.

The trigger for an absurd project

Haiku Koshien, Welding Koshien, Rural Power Koshien ——.

If you notice, the world is full of Koshien. However, there must be no Koshien on such a magnificent scale. It is the “African Koshien” that started in November last year.

The official name is “Africa 55 Koshien Project”.

This is that J-ABS (African Baseball and Softball Promotion Organization) holds national baseball tournaments in all 55 countries and regions of Africa, aiming to foster youth through baseball. Hideki Matsui, who was active in Japan and the United States with a uniform number of 55 when he was active, agreed with the idea and called for “Let’s support baseball in Africa together.”

A strange and absurd project to hold a national baseball tournament in Koshien in Africa, where baseball is not popular. It was born from a baseball enthusiast’s crawling activity. This is Shinya Tomonari, the representative director of J-ABS.

Tomonari, a former JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) employee, has been involved in the spread and strengthening of baseball in Ghana, Tanzania, South Sudan, etc. for the past 25 years.

Aiming to be the best in Japan as a member of the baseball club of the athletic club when he was at Keio University, he happened to participate in a match between a local team and a Japanese team in Ghana, where he was assigned in 1996. He is a “Geki Rare-san” who has become the director of the Ghana National Team.

Even in the Ghana era, he taught hot-blooded baseball skills from the basics. Young people from every country work with their eyes shining Photo courtesy = kazufoto

After that, Tomonari established a baseball federation in Tanzania and held the national tournament “Tanzania Koshien”. Even in South Sudan, the “youngest country in the world” born in 2011, he has made numerous achievements such as launching a baseball federation in a confused national situation.

The idea of ​​Africa Koshien was born in 2011, the year before I was assigned to Tanzania.

“I went to see what happened to baseball in Ghana, which I was involved in from 1996 to 1999, and it was still going on. At that time, I prepared bread for hungry players and made baseball that didn’t make money. I tried and errored to persuade the parents and bosses of the players who opposed it, but 10 years have passed since then, and the boys I taught have become coaches in their mid-20s and are raising younger players. It was. “

Tomonari, who was happy, said he would hold a national tournament in Ghana. It is a model of Africa Koshien. At the root of this was joy and a strong sense of crisis.

“At that time, I had a sense of crisis about the future of baseball, because baseball was removed from the Olympics at the end of 2008 in Beijing. The budget for non-major baseball in Ghana is However, when it wasn’t an Olympic competition, the budget wasn’t enough and the boys’ goals disappeared. I decided to do Ghana Koshien as a goal. “

Tomonari was born in 1964. After graduating from Keio University, he joined the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through Recruit Cosmos.He started the NPO Africa Baseball Friends Association as a side job, and from 2021 he devoted himself to the representative director of the African Baseball and Softball Promotion Organization.
Tomonari was born in 1964. After graduating from Keio University, he joined the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through Recruit Cosmos.He started the NPO Africa Baseball Friends Association as a side job, and from 2021 he devoted himself to the representative director of the African Baseball and Softball Promotion Organization.

The role of baseball in the development of young people

As a starting point, Tomonari’s students toured schools near the capital, Accra, and began to spread, and baseball teams were born at nearly 10 schools. A year later, when we conducted a hearing survey of each school, many principals responded unexpectedly.

“Are you Mr. Tomonari! Thank you!”

Thank you? With his eyes black and white, the principal continues:

“Children who play baseball have improved grades, saved time, and demonstrated leadership to set an example for everyone.”

Tomonari looks back on that time.

“I didn’t expect that to be effective, but when I think about it, I line up in two rows on the ground when playing catch, and line up in front of the bench before and after the game to give a bow to the opponent. It took me a long time to do that. “

When Tomonari was posted, Cuban-derived baseball was being played in Ghana. However, my next assignment, Tanzania, is literally a barren baseball game. Nevertheless, the experience in Ghana has given Mr. Tomonari confidence.

“Yes, by playing baseball, children learn discipline, respect, and a spirit of justice. You should appeal this!”

Mr. Tomonari, who was assigned to Tanzania, immediately got introduced to some schools at an institution such as the Japan Sports Agency and started touring the schools.

Every time I meet the principal at school, Tomonari cuts it out like this.

――What is the goal of the school here?

“That is, of course, to increase the rate of advancement.”

–I see. Actually, there was such a case in Ghana …

“Well, does the sport of baseball have that kind of power? Then, could you create a baseball club at our school?”

Tomonari launched baseball as a “tool for youth development.”

As a reminder, the spread of baseball is not the main business of Mr. Tomonari, a JICA employee. He wasn’t asked by anyone, he was just a leisure activity, full of take-outs rather than seeking rewards. Tomonari wants to spread the wonder of the game of baseball. This is a real thing, because the more barren the land is, the more fighting spirit springs up.

The baseball presentation in Tanzania went well.

As was the case in Ghana, children began to behave briskly through baseball and became punctual. I started to devote myself to studying hard.

This school is a long-established school in the capital city of Dulles Salaam, and the “efficacy” of baseball was gradually conveyed, partly because the new initiative of baseball was drawing attention from the surroundings.

“When it comes to Africa, I don’t keep time. I’ve been troubled for a long time, but the teachers in Tanzania also want to instill discipline in their students. Perhaps it is a remnant of the time when Europeans enslaved the indigenous people, whips are pervading in both West Africa and East Africa. When Orientals came to such a place and started the sport of baseball, there was no delay and it was disciplined. I think it was a shock to the teachers. Unlike soccer, which is popular in Africa, it is easy to teach baseball because there is a gap between each ball. I think it is. “

National convention held in Tanzania.The form of players who are unconventional even if thrown or hit is provided by Mr. Tomonari who seems to be African
National convention held in Tanzania.The form of players who are unconventional even if thrown or hit is provided by Mr. Tomonari who seems to be African

Tomonari started to spread baseball here and there in collaboration with the JICA cooperation team operating in the rural areas of Tanzania. And only two years after his assignment, the national tournament, that is, the Tanzania Koshien, was held.

Since JICA has a rule that he will be assigned overseas for a maximum of three years, Tomonari left Tanzania in 2015, but Koshien continued after that, and he continued in Korona-ka. Twelve schools participated last year, and it is expected that the number of participating schools will increase this year, which will be the 10th anniversary competition.

Baseball presentation while wearing bulletproof vest

By the way, when I heard that the third place of assignment would be South Sudan, Tomonari thought a little. After all, this country is in the midst of a blood-washing ethnic conflict. It was a little calm in 18 years when Tomonari was assigned, but the local rule that JICA staff had to ride a bulletproof car when going out was alive.

I wasn’t in a situation where I could easily go out to the city, but I’m not Mr. Tomonari who would give up.

One day, when I was inspecting the city with a bulletproof car, I found a fine ground. He has played baseball on rocky, open-air grounds in both Ghana and Tanzania, but why is there a clean ground in South Sudan, a conflict area? When asked, it was the traditional ground of the University of Juba, which was maintained by the Self-Defense Forces who came to PKO.

“This is good!”

On the weekend, I went to the ground with a bulletproof car and found three young people lying on a bench in the shade of a tree. He says he is sleeping because it is hot.

“You guys are young, so why don’t you move your body? There is a catch ball!”

With that said, Tomonari brought the gloves and balls that he had on the bulletproof car. This is the guerrilla catch ball, which is the inner hand of “Mission”. Since the Tanzania era, Tomonari has been loading gloves and balls in his car so that he can play catch at any time.

Play catch for a while and say, “Then, let’s do it again next weekend!”

Due to the lack of entertainment, the catch ball circle grows larger every weekend. Eventually a baseball team was born.

I use a softball.The first ball to be seen by most children in South Sudan, provided by Tomonari
I use a softball.The first ball to be seen by most children in South Sudan, provided by Tomonari

As in Tanzania, Tomonari launched a baseball federation in South Sudan. This is because having a federation gives them a budget and receives support from the political and business world.

The South Sudanese Baseball Federation was established shortly before the expiration of its three-year term, but the founding general meeting was an unforgettable memory.

“A commemorative photo was taken at the federation’s founding general meeting, and the second-largest Nuer president shook hands with the secretary-general of the largest Dinka tribe. It was a historic moment. The baseball world has overcome the ethnic barriers and has come together while it is difficult to establish. Baseball has the power to create peace! I realized that. “

As mentioned above, foreign teams are scheduled to be invited to the Tanzania Koshien, which is scheduled to be held in December this year, as the 10th commemorative frame. The team has already been decided in Tomonari’s mind. South Sudan national team. Of course, a multi-ethnic mixed team. It’s exciting just to imagine.

Tomonari talks passionately.

“Africa is poor and there are constant illnesses, accidents and injustices, but the only way to overcome them is to develop human resources with a spirit of justice, discipline and respect. Japanese baseball has the power to do that. Even though it is poor, Africa’s economy is growing rapidly and its population is increasing. It is important to build relationships with Africa in order for Japan, which has a declining birthrate and an aging population, to maintain society in the future. At that time, I think the existence of people who are familiar with Japan, saying, “I was raised in Japanese baseball,” will have a big meaning. “

An absurd, strange African Koshien. However, the seeds sown by Tomonari are steadily sprouting and growing into trunks.

Banner photo: Tanzanian players playing seriously on the African ground of red clay provided by Tomonari

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