Baseball: Uganda hopes to qualify for Olympics
May 02, 2019
Although there have not been so many continental championships, Uganda’s exposure to the bigger world of baseball is something to bank on.
ABSA Africa Olympic Qualifier
1-5 May, South Africa
Uganda is no doubt a headliner at the Baseball Africa Olympic Qualifier.
It goes beyond lip service, the boys are capable of winning the Africa qualifier at the Bosbksburg City Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa.
But how does the team arrive at this level of confidence keeping in mind the cut and thrust competition expected? One quick statistic backs that confidence.
It is based on the fact that the country has had the biggest number of players from Africa at the different MLB camps for a long time now. This partly forms Uganda's competitive advantage at the South Africa event.
Although there have not been so many continental championships, Uganda's exposure to the bigger world of baseball is something to bank on.
Eric Kato and Job Echon who are some of the beneficiaries of international baseball camps have revealed that "the experience puts you out there among the very best. We have learned a lot and naturally developed the confidence needed" Kato says.
Meanwhile, Uganda's baseball progressive trend is courtesy of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
For a long time now, the agency has been dispatching coaches to train local players and currently the experienced coach Katsuhisa Tanaka is Uganda's head coach when they battle against South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Nigeria.
"We are delighted to be a part of this long walk with Ugandan baseball. We hope to continue supporting in the best way possible" said Shima Naoyuki the Coordinator for Economic Cooperation Saturday during a presser.
More importantly, it is important to remember that they fully funded the construction of the Uganda- Japan Baseball Stadium in Gayaza with the project amounting to 120,000USD.
The Agency has also partly sponsored team travel costs. Uganda opens her campaign against Burkina Faso on day one.
Email: kbalikuddembe@newvision.co.ug
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