05 Mar 2017

GABORONE - Embassy of Japan to Botswana has awarded Botswana Softball Association (BSA) P700 000 to be used to upgrade the National Diamond and purchase equipment.
The project is the fourth under the Japanese grant assistance for grassroots cultural projects having assisted karate in 2008 and judo in 2011 and 2015.
Speaking at the contract signing ceremony on Friday in Gaborone, Japanese ambassador to Botswana, Masahiro Onishi said the initiative aimed to recognise the value of sport and promote the Olympic and Paralympic movement worldwide, leading to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He highlighted that softball was one of the most popular sports in Botswana for both men and women, stating that the project was expected to facilitate a better training environment.
Onishi said with the women’s softball officially added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Botswana’s ladies team had a good chance of competing at these Olympics.
“It is my hope that Botswana women’s softball team will train at the refurbished softball stadium with the equipment provided through our grant and subsequently qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and accomplish remarkable achievements.” The ambassador said in addition to the grant, Japan had also dispatched a volunteer coach to BSA to transfer her skills and techniques to softball players for a period of two years.
He further thanked BSA, Ministry of Youth Empowerment, sport and Culture Development, Botswana National Sports Council and Botswana National Olympics Committee for their cooperation and support.
Onishi said in order to get maximum benefit from the project there was need for continuous support from all stakeholders.
BSA president, Tirelo Mukokomani thanked the Japanese embassy for their kind gesture and further recognised their generosity to all the other codes they had supported in the past.
He further expressed gratitude to Japan for having dispatched a coach to assist the women’s team, whom he said they would learn a lot from since Japan  was highly  ranked with regards to softball.
Mukokomani said part of the grant would go towards intensifying the training at the school of excellence centres in Goodhope and Masunga as part of the grassroots programme.
“We shall forever cherish our communion with Japan,” he concluded. ENDS