On the Occasion of the Conferment of Foreign Minister’s Commendations to Mr. Manoj Fernando, National Coordinator, Sri Lanka Amateur Baseball/ Softball Association
2019/10/9
Ambassador's Speech
Mr. Fazil Hussain, President of Sri Lanka Amateur Baseball/Softball Association and the Executive Members of SLABSA,
Mr. Manoj Fernando, National Coordinator of SLABSA,
Mr. Kazuto Nonaka, Head Coach and the Distinguished Members of the National Team,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening.
Let me begin my welcome address by expressing how delightful I am to have the heroes of the West Asia Baseball Cup 2019 here in my residence this evening. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the national team players and coaches headed by Mr. Kazuto Nonaka for joining us despite busy schedule on the eve of departure to Taiwan.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Belatedly though, I would like to express my warmest congratulations to the national team once again for winning the West Asia Baseball Cup 2019 on July 20th, which marked two consecutive victory for the Sri Lankan team. The finals played against Pakistan was truly “a great drama without a script”, showcasing the nail-biting excitement of the game of baseball. I was also among one of many spectators who were clenching fists and teeth until the last player was battered out- the hairbreadth game that was narrowly won by Sri Lanka by 5 to 4. Coming victorious out of that thriller, however, manifested the real strength of Sri Lankan team, as I observed serene confidence prevailing the team even when its back was against the wall. That confidence can only be forged though rich experience of playing against strong rivals, which has transformed the Sri Lankan team into a roaring lion from a small cub that Mr. Ikkyu Ueda, the first JOCV who was dispatched to Sri Lanka in the field of baseball, found it when he came to train the team in 2002.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The road to the glory, however, wasn’t flat and easy, to say the least, as was described in Mr. Ueda’s book -“Playball”- in which the sorry-state of the baseball team was illustrated in the following lines: “They had only one ball to practice with, and when I took out a white ball out of my bag, they yelled “Lassanai (beautiful)!”. I was shocked that they had never seen a brand new ball before.” Since those days nearly 20 years ago, Sri Lankan team has come a long way, having grown from strength to strength with enormous vigor, winning the tickets to stand and play in “the field of dreams”, that is- the 29th BFA Asian Baseball Championship- starting from October 14, to play against the Asian baseball giants, including “Samurai Japan”.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe, behind every great success story, there is a silent passion of dedicated hearts which conquer all the challenges to make dreams come true. In the case of Sri Lankan baseball, it is Mr. Manoj Fernando, National Coordinator of Sri Lanka Amateur Baseball/Softball Association, who has spearheaded the promotion of baseball in Sri Lanka and shaped the national team to excel in the international stage. Having learnt the game of baseball in high school days himself, Mr. Fernando has walked along every progress of the baseball in this island nation, coined as “a living history of Sri Lankan baseball” by Ikkyu Ueda. Particularly worth mentioning is his contribution to raising fund for the Asian Baseball Cup 2002 held in Thailand, which enabled the national team to participate in the international tournament for the first time, and marked the historic victory against Singapore.
In recognition of his great endeavor and outstanding achievements in consolidating the foundations of Sri Lankan baseball, in close collaboration with successive members of JOCVs, and thereby contributing to the promotion of friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan, the Government of Japan has decided to decorate Mr. Fernando with Foreign Minister’s Commendations for FY 2019. At the dawn of long and bright history of Sri Lankan baseball, I am extremely honored to have this opportunity to confer the prestigious award to Mr. Manoj Fernando, in the presence of future legends, who will all be remembered as the great pioneers by the coming generations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Baseball is the most popular sports in Japan and the words of great stars are quoted widely as a source of inspiration to the society at large. One of such superstars is a former major leaguer Ichiro Suzuki, and I would like to quote one from him as a well-wishing message to the national team:
“One can not reach one’s dream in a single stride,
Only by a small step of ceaseless efforts-would one be able to find enormous
power dwells within oneself.”
For the members of national team, this will be a great opportunity to try and see what enormous power hidden within, while believing in yourselves as you walk down the road towards the glory. My heart and prayers are always with the Sri Lankan national team.
In conclusion, let me once again express my warmest congratulations to Mr. Manoj Fernando, for his great achievements in the promotion of baseball in Sri Lanka and friendship between the two countries, as well as my best wishes to the national team for the great matches and victories at the 29th BFA Asian Baseball Championship in Taiwan.
On this note, I would finally like to propose a toast to our everlasting friendship and to the great game of baseball: “Kanpai!”
Thank you very much.