In a press release dated October 18, 2024, Hank Aaron Sports Academy president Tim Bennett announced that a sister-city sports agreement has been signed between Jackson, Mississippi, and Rionegro, Columbia.

Even though a dark legal cloud looms over Smith-Wills Stadium and its ownership, Bennett (also president of KSG, manager at Smith-Wills Stadium, and ambassador between the two cities) is optimistic about the sister-city agreement between the two cities. 

The focus of the agreement is on sports, culture, education, and commerce. Bennett made an in-person visit to make the agreement official as the ambassador between the cities, and he is currently in Medellin, Columbia finalizing opportunities for which the agreement will be based. He is optimistic about introducing baseball to a region that has yet to fully enjoy the game. Rionegro currently has no organized baseball in any of its schools having more than 20,000 students ranging in age from 5-17 years old. 

Mayor Jorge Humberto Rivas Urrea said, “We welcome Tim as a great businessman in the world of baseball and sports and a leader of youth development in the U.S. We’re looking forward to working together with him and the city of Jackson and the state of Mississippi as well as here in our city of Rionegro with this new and monumental sister-city agreement for youth development and mixed-use facilities to support that effort.” 

Bennett said, “I am excited about bringing baseball to the city of Rionegro, and Rionegro is working with us to develop soccer in the Jackson community. I am equally excited to introduce an entirely new generation to the legacy of Henry “Hank” Aaron, who spent time in his career actually playing in Latin-American cultures and what he means to baseball. This is another win-win in furthering the international reach of baseball and the good it does in bringing people from all backgrounds together while at the same time introducing one of the game’s greatest legends and ambassadors in Hank Aaron.”

Bennett explained: “I think this sister-city agreement will allow us to bring baseball to them and enhance and broaden the appeal of soccer here in Mississippi. This agreement is truly an interchange of sports and culture that will have many benefits in other areas of exchange that are numerous now and, in the future, putting Mississippi in a position to be a global leader with countries in South America. As the logistics, nuts, and bolts of the agreement are fleshed out and developed, having such an agreement will put a spotlight on Jackson as we continue to work to make Smith-Wills Stadium a showplace for our athletes and exposure of their talent.”

For additional information regarding the sister-city agreement, visit www.LegacyLeagueBaseball.com.