Kenya holds its first-ever "Koshien Tournament"
Hideki Matsui delivers a message at the opening ceremony
A unique initiative to award crowns to the winners and the sportsmanship team.

The first-ever "Kenya Koshien Championship" (commonly known as the "Kenya Koshien Tournament" (*1)) was held in Nairobi, the capital of the Republic of Kenya, over two days, August 12th and 13th, at the baseball field of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi. This tournament was held as part of the Africa 55 Koshien Project (*2) promoted by J-ABS, and as it was the first national tournament for high school students in Kenya's history, the opening ceremony was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Kenya, Ken Okaba, and the acting president of the university, among others. Furthermore, a message was received from Hideki Matsui, Executive Dream Partner of J-ABS, which was read aloud by J-ABS Representative Director Tomonari.

A total of 15 schools from four regions across the country participated in the qualifiers, and the four schools that won their respective regional qualifiers advanced to the main tournament. After the tournament-style main competition, Olympic High School from Nairobi emerged victorious.

In July of last year, J-ABS signed a Baseballersship™ Education (*3) Partnership Agreement with the Kenya Baseball Federation and has been developing human resource development projects through baseball in the country. Immediately before the Kenya Koshien Tournament, J-ABS held a three-day Baseballersship Education Seminar for coaches, umpires, scorekeepers, and teachers. The tournament was designed not only to compete for victory, but also to see how well teams demonstrated sportsmanship, including discipline, respect, and justice. Throughout the tournament, players showed respect to the opposing team and umpires by lining up and bowing before and after the game, apologizing after hitting a batter with a pitch, and applauding good plays by the opposing team, demonstrating Japanese-style baseball culture.

A unique feature of this tournament was that, in addition to the winning team, the team that best demonstrated sportsmanship was awarded the "Baseballership Award." A Kenyan evaluation committee assessed the attitude and conduct of each team throughout the tournament and selected the team that showed the most outstanding performance. The first-ever "Baseballership Award" in Africa was presented to the runner-up, Abraham Grandsun High School.

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<Japanese translation of Hideki Matsui's English message>

Hello to all the players and staff participating in the Kenya Koshien Tournament!

This is Hideki Matsui from New York. Congratulations on the holding of the 1st Kenya Koshien Tournament.

The Koshien Tournament in Japan is a dream stage with a history spanning over 100 years. I was fortunate to have wonderful coaches and teammates, and I was able to participate four times. When I first stepped into the batter's box at the age of 16, my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I've never been that nervous, not even in the World Series.

You might feel nervous once the game starts. But trust in yourself and your teammates, and play with all your heart and have fun. It will surely be a wonderful experience and create unforgettable memories.

And with the spirit of baseballmanship in mind, please strive for victory while demonstrating discipline, respect, and justice.

I hope that the Kenya Koshien Tournament will continue to be a wonderful event for the next 100 years, and I look forward to the efforts of those involved in the tournament.

That's all.

0_Pre-match lineup scene.jpg

■(*1) About the 1st Kenya Koshien Championship

Date and time: Saturday, August 12, 2023, Sunday, August 13, 2023

Location: Baseball field at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Organizer: Baseball Federation of Kenya (BFK): President: Titus Mutwili

Co-sponsored by: Africa Baseball & Softball Promotion Organization (J-ABS: Representative Director Shinya Tomonari)

Cooperation: Embassy of Japan in Kenya, JICA Kenya Office, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, NGO "IfWeBuildIt"

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Participating schools:

1. Friends High School, West District Representative

2. Olympic High School Nairobi Metropolitan District Representative

3. Abraham Grand Sun High School, Coast District Representative

4. Nkaimrunya High School, Masai District Representative

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Match schedule and results:

<第 1 日>

Semifinal 1: Friends High School 0 – 20 Olympic High School

Semifinal ② Abraham Grand Sun High School 13 – 9 Nkaimrunya High School

<第 2 日>

Third Place Playoff: Friends High School 4 – 15 Nkaimrunya High School

Final: Olympic High School 25 – 10 Abraham Grand Sun High School

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Award-winning teams and individuals:

Winner: Olympic High School

Baseballship Award: Abraham Grandsun High School