Harare to host farewell competition for Japanese baseball volunteer Shongo Aoki

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter

THE Bulawayo provincial baseball team is confident of victory in the Shongo Aoki farewell tournament to be held in Harare on Saturday and Sunday.

Aoki has for the past two years been serving as a volunteer in a bid to improve the standards of baseball in the country.

He is set to return to his home country of Japan at the end of November.

As part of efforts to show appreciation for his work, four teams from Bulawayo, Harare and Mashonaland East will take part in his farewell tournament this weekend.

Bulawayo Metropolitan Baseball and Softball Association chairman Eldon Mudzingwa said they will find it hard to fill the gap he leaves.

“Aoki has done a great job despite the fact that some of planned projects were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The challenge for us now is to come up with sustainable projects after his departure. As for Team Bulawayo, we have been training and l am confident we will do well at the competition.” – @innocentskizoe