The town of Kamikawa, Hokkaido (Mayor: Mitsuhide Nishiki) and Mizuno (President: Akito Mizuno) will hold the Baseball5*1 tournament, which has been adopted as an official event of the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, on December 15 at the Kamikawa Town Gymnasium.

With the cooperation of Mizuno, the inaugural event will feature a variety of content for baseball players, including measurements of pitch speed and swing speed, as well as gait measurement for seniors' health, and other content for men and women of all ages to enjoy.

1 A new street baseball/softball game consisting of a five-man team and five innings of play. It is rapidly spreading around the world as a new urban sport.

<Background of the event
We want to change the situation where children do not have a choice.
In Kamikawa Town, Hokkaido, there are far fewer opportunities for children to experience team sports, due in part to the declining birthrate and aging population, as evidenced by the closure of the junior high school baseball team. We decided to hold this tournament with the aim of creating a situation where people can "freely choose what they want to do" and reduce this situation of "wanting to play but not being able to.

■We want to increase opportunities for intergenerational and interregional exchange
We believe that human connections are extremely important in increasing life choices. Therefore, we will invite mixed-generational teams and participants from regions outside of Kamikawa Town to participate in this tournament. Through this, we aim to create new connections.

■We want to increase opportunities for baseball activities even in winter
Due to the characteristics of the Hokkaido region, baseball activities in winter are difficult, and the duration of activities throughout the year is short. On the other hand, Baseball5 can be held in any location, even in winter, and we aim to set a new standard for baseball activities in winter through this tournament.

Through the above three points, we have decided to hold this tournament in order to enliven Kamikawa Town and the neighboring areas, and to realize a more enjoyable lifestyle.

＜Name of the tournament
Big Snow Cup
In the central part of Hokkaido, there is a huge mountain range called "Daisetsuzan (Mt. Daisetsuzan)" consisting of mountains such as Mt. Of course, Kamikawa Town in Hokkaido is one of these municipalities. In the hope of increasing opportunities for exchange between the regions through this tournament, we named the event "Big Snow Cup" after "Daisetsuzan," a mountain that many Hokkaido-area residents are associated with.

*Please be sure to check the organizer's official website, etc., for information on the status of the event.