Japanese national baseball team manager Shigeo Nagashima, who is undergoing rehabilitation from a stroke suffered in March, has decided not to travel to Athens to lead the squad at the Olympics later this month, team officials said Monday.
But the former Yomiuri Giants skipper will still be registered as the official manager of the team, and head coach Kiyoshi Nakahata will take charge when the Olympic baseball tournament gets under way Aug. 15, said Kiro Osafune, who is responsible for the baseball team selection.
"Being formally asked like this to lead the team, I feel renewed pressure," Nakahata said. "But I fully understand the intentions of the manager, and even more than this, the players recognize the idea of competing for their flag."
Nakahata added he wants to firmly make decisions that Nagashima would make.
Nagashima, 68, is still partially paralyzed on the right side of his body but is said to be recovering well and is now able to walk without the assistance of a cane.
After consultations with his family and doctor, he decided to remain in Japan due to health considerations, Osafune told a press conference in Tokyo.
"We just could not wipe away the risks of going to Athens," his son Kazushige Nagashima said. "I personally opposed it, and my father made the decision after thinking over the matter calmly for several days. He won't take charge in Athens, but his baseball career is not yet over."
BlueWave top Lions
Ryutaro Tsuji hit a bases-loaded single to drive in the winning run and Yoshitomo Tani added a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the 12th inning, leading the Orix BlueWave to a 3-1 victory over the Seibu Lions on Monday at Seibu Dome.