Miracle of a small wing beat: how Lao baseball became a game changer in Southeast Asia

Twelve years ago, baseball was virtually unknown in Laos. A small group of young Lao players training with only a handful of coaches looked more like an experiment than the beginning of a national sports movement.
Few could have imagined that this modest start would one day help reshape the baseball landscape of Southeast Asia.
The story began in November 2013, when Je Sung-uk, national team manager and one of the pioneers of Lao baseball, introduced the sport to the country for the first time.

At the time, there were no proper baseball fields, no certified umpires and very limited equipment. What existed instead was a small group of Lao youths, a few expatriates who had played baseball before, and a shared willingness to start from nothing.
From this informal beginning, baseball in Laos slowly took shape. In 2017, the Laos Baseball Federation was officially established, marking a major milestone for the sport. Just one year later, the national team made its international debut at the 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Asian Games.
The results were sobering. Laos suffered a cold-game defeat against Thailand and finished last among the ten participating nations. Yet the tournament also revealed early signs of promise. The Lao team scored ten runs against Sri Lanka, offering a glimpse of potential from a side still in its infancy.
That potential did not go unnoticed. In March 2019, Beng Choo Low, Secretary General of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), visited Vientiane to discuss baseball development with senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports and the National Olympic Committee of Laos.
Her visit to the team’s training centre, known as the “Lao J Brothers”, proved particularly significant. By encouraging players directly and observing their training environment, she helped pave the way for the Laos Baseball Federation to become a full member of the WBSC.
What distinguishes the Lao national team is not physical dominance, but a unique communal spirit. Many players come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds and are physically smaller than their regional rivals. However, they live, train and grow together every day as part of the “Lao J Brothers”, developing discipline, resilience and trust through shared routines.
This persistence gradually transformed the team. The turning point came at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, when Laos produced a dramatic 8-7 comeback victory against Singapore to advance to the main round.
The result surprised many observers and drew international attention, marking Laos as a team capable of competing under pressure.
Since then, the perception of Lao baseball has shifted significantly. Once regarded as an underdog, Laos has become an opponent that neighbouring countries prepare for carefully.
At the recent SEA Games, several teams fielded large numbers of dual-citizenship players to strengthen their squads. Singapore, for example, reinforced its roster with Japanese players specifically to counter Laos — a development that quietly underlined the rising status of the Lao team.
Behind this progress lies sustained support from both domestic and international partners. The South Korean government has backed Lao baseball for more than eight years, providing coaching staff and training opportunities. At the national level, the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports has supported infrastructure development, including land allocation for training facilities.
In addition, Je Sung-uk’s engagement at the WBSC Congress in Bangkok last year helped strengthen international cooperation. Through meetings with regional and global baseball officials, Laos secured professional-level equipment support from Japan, further strengthening the team’s foundation.
Today, baseball in Laos represents more than just a growing sport. It has become a symbol of perseverance, collective effort and long-term vision.
What began as a small “wing beat” more than a decade ago has evolved into a steady wind of change, positioning Lao baseball firmly on the map of Asian sport.

By Advertorial Desk
(Latest Update December 30, 2025)