The Brunei Amateur Softball and Baseball Association (BASBA) yesterday received a boost to its effort to promote softball and baseball in the country following a handover of sports equipment donated by the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam.
The ceremony at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium was witnessed by Permanent Secretary (Sports) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Pengiran Mohd Amirrizal bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud.
BASBA President Pehin Orang Kaya Lela Pahlawan Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Mohd Jaafar bin Haji Abdul Aziz received the sports equipment from Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Maeda Toru.
The ambassador, in his speech, said, “As part of the Project for Sports Diplomacy Enhancement, we are donating 2,400 rubber baseballs, 50 gloves, 20 bats, 15 helmets, two sets of bases and two sets of catcher’s protectors for baseball clinics in schools in the capital.”
He also said, “We will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN friendship and cooperation this year. Japan and ASEAN will convene in the Japan-ASEAN special summit meeting in December. We will also celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Sultanate next year and we hope for more people-to-people exchanges, including in sports.”
Meanwhile, the BASBA President said, “The inception of softball in Brunei was in 1982, officially registered as the Brunei Amateur Softball Association in 1983. This marked the beginning of an era with numerous youth teams blooming, turning the sport into a cultural phenomenon.”
However, he said, “in 1997, softball abruptly vanished from public discourse, casting a shadow over its vibrant history. After eight years of silence, the sport experienced a renaissance in 2007, attracting at least 760 active members across 21 men’s and 11 women’s teams.
“The journey, however, re-encountered a setback in 2009 when the temporary softball base (field) was reclaimed by authorities, leading to another two years of silence. To this day, the association grapples with the challenge of restoring its former glory. Currently, we only have 142 registered players, with 104 males and 36 females, a majority exceeding the age of 40.”
“From these statistics, it is evident that softball is at risk of fading away in the country. In response, in 2019, the association reintroduced softball to schools and higher institutions. However, the hurdles extended beyond the lack of a development base and the scarcity of equipment such as gloves, balls, bats, and bases”.
With the donated sports equipment, he hoped to address the challenges faced by the association and help to realise the association’s mission of integrating softball into school extracurricular activities.
The association president also said, “BASBA plans to introduce softball on a larger scale and seeks MCYS’ support in providing a qualified local coach to execute the plan. The collaboration will create synergy among the ministry, the Co-Curriculum Department in the Ministry of Education, and the association.”
BASBA Vice President Wan Mohd Tambrin Shah bin Haji Suhaili, members of the association and Japanese Embassy officials were also in attendance. – James Kon