Nigeria Baseball and Softball Federation President Uche Odozor says the country has begun building towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with promising players identified for further development and an international training programme in Japan.
Odozor said the federation’s immediate priority is to nurture the talent emerging from Nigeria’s developing baseball and softball system rather than wait until the Olympic qualification period before beginning serious preparations.
According to the federation president, a number of players have already been identified for the next phase of development and are expected to participate in a training camp in November.
From there, selected athletes are expected to travel to Japan, one of the world’s strongest baseball nations, where they will receive further technical training and exposure.
“We are working towards developing and nurturing the sport,” Odozor said, stressing that the long-term objective is to produce players capable of competing internationally.
The decision to look towards Japan could provide an important learning opportunity for Nigeria. Baseball has enormous popularity and a highly developed competitive structure in the Asian country, while Japan won the men’s baseball gold medal when the sport was contested at the Tokyo Olympics.
Nigeria, by comparison, remains at an earlier stage of developing the sport and expanding its player base.
The federation has consequently placed increased emphasis on talent identification, domestic competition and technical development as it attempts to close that gap.
Nigeria’s preparations have also involved international expertise. Japanese coach Shinya Tomonari, head coach of the national baseball and softball programme, recently revealed that the technical crew had been scouting players during domestic competition in Abuja with a view to developing prospects for the national team.
The long-term ambition is particularly significant because baseball and softball will return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028, providing Nigeria with a major target around which to structure its development plans.
Qualification will represent a considerable challenge given the strength of established baseball and softball nations, but Odozor believes the work must begin years rather than months in advance.
For Nigeria, therefore, the road to Los Angeles is starting with talent identification at home, a November camp and an ambitious development journey to Japan.
