Baseball gradually taking root in Sri Lanka with Japanese aid
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- With the help of Japan, home to legendary players Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani, baseball has gradually gained a foothold in Sri La
Baseball is gradually gaining popularity in Sri Lanka, a South Asian nation renowned for its love of cricket. At the recent Under-18 Asian Baseball Championship in Taipei, the Sri Lankan team placed second to last out of eight contestants. However, their coach, Hiroto Furuya, a Japanese national, remains optimistic about their progress.
Furuya, who has been coaching the team since June as a volunteer for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), believes the players have shown significant improvement. Despite losing in the preliminary round to teams like Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, Furuya commends the team's determination and athletic prowess. He aims to elevate their skill level to compete against top Asian teams.
Japan's support for Sri Lankan baseball is evident in their recent donation of 150 baseballs to the national team. Japan, known for its esteemed players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani, hopes these new resources will aid the team's practice. Amid a scarcity of baseball equipment and coaches, Furuya relies heavily on donations from Japanese teams, individuals, and JICA as his primary lifeline.
The promotion of baseball in Sri Lanka is a key initiative of JICA, which has been sending volunteers to various regions for decades. In Asia, JICA's efforts began in the Philippines in 1970 and have since expanded to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and now Sri Lanka. As of now, about 4,000 students from roughly 35 schools across 20 cities and regions, including Colombo and Kandy, participate in baseball. Girls' baseball is also gaining traction, with 300 players at six schools.
JICA's efforts have seen significant success, including Sri Lanka's historic win at the 2017 West Asia Baseball Cup in Pakistan, where they defeated Pakistan 4-2 in the final. This victory marked the first title for the national team. Shinji Yamaguchi, a volunteer program officer at the JICA Sri Lanka Office, highlights the construction of the first baseball field in South Asia in 2012, funded by Japanese aid.
This field, now used by the Under-18 team and for inter-team games, symbolizes Sri Lanka's emergence as a budding baseball nation.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
