By THEPHILBIZNEWS STAFF
True to its commitment to Uniting the World in WONDER, All Nippon Airways (ANA) serves as the official partner for the Smokey Mountain Baseball Project (SMBP) in the Philippines.
The agreement is a living testament to ANA’s efforts in “Uniting the World in WONDER” by supporting the youth baseball players to create wonder in the baseball field.
SMBP is a project that aims to support young athletes in the local communities, including the Tondo area, through baseball coaching clinics where the coaches are former professional baseball players of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Since 2012, approximately 3,000 youths and children have participated in the baseball clinics and more than 100 youths have been able to become scholarship players in prestigious universities such as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University.
Mr. Naoaki TAKAYANAGI, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Asia & Oceania said, “SMBP has been inspiring youth baseball players in the Philippines for over a decade and the activity is fully aligned with the ANA Group’s vision of “Uniting the World in WONDER”. Through SMBP, we look forward to creating WONDER with the youth and children in the Philippines as the future leaders of the country.
Mr. Shogo SHIBATA, SMBP project owner of NB.ACADEMY said, “SMBP has been ongoing since 2012 and is held jointly with the GOLDEN PLAYERS CLUB. It has been loved for many years as an extremely meaningful initiative, as it provides them with a chance to interact with kids who actually live in an environment they wouldn’t normally see through baseball. We had been facing a cost challenge, but ANA has agreed to provide full support, and we have decided to hold this year’s event without incident.”
ANA will continue to support initiatives that are aligned with ANA Group’s vision of “Uniting the World in WONDER.”