The opening ceremonies for Takamadonomiya Cup: 32nd All-Japan Rubber Baseball McDonald's Tournament for elementary school kids took place at Jingu Stadium.  Fifty-one schools from all around Japan will compete for the top spot over a five-day period (August 13-17).

Atsuya Furuta took part in the opening ceremonial first pitch.

Source: Nikkan Sports 8/12/2012

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Dentsu and Dentsu Sports Partners is opening up an online site called Yakyu Ryoku: Baseball Skills Improvement Program that helps kids evaluate their skills in an online environment that will also allow them to see how they rank against other kids across the country -- data is measured and then entered into the system.

Officials conducted a trial run during today's opening ceremony for the Takamadonomiya Cup by measuring how fast balls were hit off bats during soft-toss batting practice (top speed for players participating in the tournament was 123km/h).

The site will officially open on August 31.

Source: Nikkan Sports 8/12/2012