Hideki Matsui has been appointed as a partner to support efforts to popularize baseball and softball in Africa and to hold a tournament like Japanese high school baseball that will be held at Koshien Stadium in the future.
Along with Mr. Matsui's appointment as a partner, the "African Baseball and Software Promotion Organization" held a press conference in Tokyo on the 30th with ambassadors and representatives from four African countries such as Tanzania.
This initiative, which started in January, aims to popularize baseball and softball in African countries and regions, and to promote the region and educate children. We will provide equipment such as gloves and bats, and support when holding competitions in each region.
At the press conference, Mr. Matsui's message was shown in a video, "I was very impressed to hear that there are young people chasing white balls in Africa. The number of African boys and girls playing baseball and softball has increased, including Japan. I dream of a day when I can interact with boys and girls from all over the world. "
In this initiative, baseball and softball will become popular in various parts of Africa in the future, and the goal is to create a tournament similar to Japanese high school baseball held at Koshien Stadium.
Shinya Tomonari, President of the "African Baseball and Softball Promotion Organization," said, "Africa is a region full of possibilities. I hope that the spread of baseball and softball in Africa will make it a new Olympic event. I was talking.