Shigeo Nagashima, who has been hospitalized since last Thursday after suffering a stroke, will manage Japan's baseball team as scheduled at this summer's Athens Olympics, a Japanese baseball official said Monday.
"He is the only manager who knows how to motivate the players and create the right mood in the team like he did in the Asian qualifiers (for Athens)," Kiro Osafune, who is responsible for team selection for the Athens Games, told reporters.
"He will be in charge in Athens. I haven't considered bringing in anyone to replace him and don't intend to give it any thought," he added.
"Even if he is not available for the group stage (of the Olympic baseball competition), he could still take charge from the semifinals," Osafune said.
Osafune said he would push for Nagashima to be registered as national team manager at a meeting of baseball officials in charge of Olympic team selection later this month. A provisional baseball squad for the Olympics must be submitted by March 31.
Nagashima's condition was described as "serious but not life-threatening" after he was diagnosed with a stroke at a Tokyo hospital on Friday morning. He will not need surgery and will be treated with medication.