How many people think of “baseball” when they hear the word “Burkina Faso”? However, the day may not be far off when that image will change.
On February 26, JICA and the Yomiuri Giants held an online baseball school for Burkina Faso, which is making efforts to promote and popularize baseball. Children with bright eyes and enthusiastic baseball players gathered at the first baseball field in Burkina Faso, which was completed with the support of the Embassy of Japan in Burkina Faso.
Believing in the potential of sports and using baseball as a catalyst for social harmony
In Burkina Faso, the security situation has deteriorated significantly in recent years due to terrorist attacks by armed groups, resulting in large numbers of internally displaced persons. Young people who have lost their goals are being easily taken in by terrorists, and ethnic cleavages are growing over security and resources.
JICA and the Yomiuri Giants have been cooperating through the promotion and dissemination of baseball around the world since 2015, and in January 2022, a new “Cooperative Agreement for International Contribution through Sports Promotion in Developing Countries” was signed. Based on this agreement, an online baseball school was held in Burkina Faso this time, aiming not only to provide technical guidance but also to contribute to the realization of a diverse and peaceful society through baseball.
Prior to this event, in August 2022, the JICA Burkina Faso office held a Baseball Five event to deepen exchanges between IDPs and host communities as a fair and equitable participation in sports for everyone. The participants said that the sports exchange provided a good opportunity to learn about the coexistence of people from different walks of life in the community, and confirmed the effectiveness of sports as a venue for building relationships among people and promoting social harmony, which led us to further utilize the potential of sports by holding this online baseball This has led to the decision to hold the online baseball school in order to further exploit the potential of the sport.
Baseball Five, a fair game for everyone
The three coaches who taught at the online baseball school were Miu Tanaka, a member of the Giants women’s team, and coaches Higashimichi Tsuji and Jun Hasegawa, both former professional baseball players who are now coaches at the Yomiuri Giants Giants Academy.
Tanaka, who has represented Japan in the Baseball Five World Cup held in 2022 and was the runner-up, was in charge of Baseball Five instruction, while Coach Tsuji and Coach Hasegawa provided instruction in hitting and pitching, respectively.
Baseball Five is a new sport that is a compact version of baseball with a five-man, five-inning format. It is characterized by the fact that it is a “hand-hitting” baseball game that does not use gloves or bats, and that men and women play together, making it a fair game for everyone.
Tanaka’s instruction began with an explanation of the basic posture, including how to hold the ball, how to throw, body movements when throwing, how to hit the ball, and how to catch the ball, with demonstrations. Seeing Tanaka’s quick movements, some children immediately tried to copy them. During the practice with the ball, Tanaka also checked the children’s movements through the screen, and gave a French “Sevon! (Good!)” in French to the children who did well. (Good!) in French to the children who did well.
After the demonstration, the children asked specific questions, such as whether it is better to open or hold the hands when hitting, and Tanaka carefully answered each question. Tanaka answered each question in detail. The children’s high level of motivation to become better was evident.
Learn tips for improving your technique with a devouring gaze
Next was hitting instruction by Coach Tsuji. He answered questions from the Burkina Faso baseball players and gave detailed explanations for each question, such as the position to stand in the batter’s box, how to grip the bat, and how to hit the ball on the inside and outside corner.
As Coach Tsuji demonstrated his batting swings through the screen, the Burkina Faso players, staring intently into the screen, showed their eagerness to absorb as much as possible.
Coach Hasegawa provided technical guidance on throwing with good control by explaining how to grip the ball, body direction, arm swing, and weight shift when pitching. He also gave instruction that was close to the participants, such as showing a close-up of the hand holding the ball to the camera so that the Burkina Faso side could see it easily.
After completing the series of instruction, the coaches checked the battery’s pitching and catching in response to a request from the Burkina Faso side to see how the pitches were actually thrown. The coaches also provided in-depth instruction on the catcher’s stance, wrist position when pitching, and how to step out of the way.
After the baseball class, Tanaka commented, “This was my first time to teach online, but I was glad to be able to interact with so many people. I hope to work with many people to promote Baseball Five in the future. Coaches Tsuji and Hasegawa also commented that it was difficult to grasp the individual movements of each player online, and that they would like to go to the field to teach next time. The participants from Burkina Faso who received instruction also renewed their desire to practice more in order to put into practice what they had learned this time. JOCV has been connecting baseball in Burkina Faso and Japan JICA first began dispatching JOCV baseball players to Burkina Faso in 2008. Since then, JOCV members continued to be dispatched to Burkina Faso Baseball Federation until 2019, when the dispatch was suspended due to the security situation, and continued to provide baseball coaching there.
Yuta Ideai, an OV with the Japan International Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), is one of the people who continues to support baseball, connecting Burkina Faso and Japan. He established the Hokkaido Baseball Academy in his hometown of Hokkaido to provide opportunities for foreign players, including those from Burkina Faso, to study baseball in Japan, and to support them in their pursuit of becoming professional baseball players. More than 10 players from Burkina Faso have come to Japan to study baseball in Japan. Although they still have a long way to go to achieve their dreams of becoming professional baseball players in Japan, these players, who have honed their skills and humanity through baseball, are now active as baseball coaches in their home countries and are working to promote baseball in their countries after returning home.
These ongoing efforts to promote baseball have been the cornerstone of ongoing baseball cooperation between Japan and Burkina Faso, even now that the dispatch of cooperative teams has been suspended, and are the driving force behind the construction of the newly completed baseball stadium (playground) and the current online baseball school.
On the day of the event, Mr. Ideai, who is a bridge between Burkina Faso and Japan, was at the Yomiuri Giants stadium on the Japanese side, and Mr. Zabre Junior, a former student of Mr. Ideai when he was a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer and a graduate of the Hokkaido Baseball Academy, was at the Burkina Faso side. Mr. Zabre Junior, a former student of Mr. Ideiai’s from the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and a graduate of the Hokkaido Baseball Academy, was in charge of technical support at each site.
© Source JICA
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.