Friendly Baseball Match
By Ilia Zukakishvili
Monday, August 7
The Georgian Junior National Baseball Team and the US Marines Team, “Warriors”, met in a friendly match for the 7th year. It has become a friendly tradition.
On July 23 2017, the Mikheil Meskhi (formerly known as “Locomotive”) stadium held the friendly match between the Georgian Junior National Team and the Warriors. The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia and the Georgian Baseball and Softball National Federation.
After eight years, Baseball & Softball returned to the ranks of Olympic Games, and the Georgian Junior National Team for the first time will participate in the European Championship tournament which will be held in Austria, Slovakia and Czech Republic over a period of two weeks.
The match with the US Marines was profitable for the Georgian team to gain experience. It also contributed to informing the public about the Wounded Georgian Warriors Program. Many wounded soldiers from the United States fought together with Georgian soldiers on the same battlefields. Georgian soldiers fight to establish security in dangerous places around the world and this receives complete public support. The match was dedicated to the wounded and fallen warriors participating in peacekeeping missions.
The match was held in a very friendly atmosphere; during the inning breaks the audience was offered a number of other entertainment events. The match was accompanied by the live commentary. Various officials from Georgian Government as well as the diplomatic corps attended the match. Also, fifteen Georgian warriors injured in peacekeeping missions were present at the stadium. They received special gifts from OSHEE, Adidas, Reebok, and Red Bull. The result was of minor significance, but the, Georgian baseball team won the match. During the match, beer, soft drinks and spring water were offered by sponsoring companies Natakhtari and Borjomi.
The role played by the Shangri La in the development of Georgian baseball should be noted. This company, along with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia, will sponsor the Georgian Junior Baseball National Team U-23 at the European Championship2017.
Supporters include the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia; Georgian Post; the Georgian Football Federation; and Friends of the Georgian Baseball & Softball Foundation.