Skip to main content

Deaflympic Athletes Meet With Governor Koike


Set to take part in the Deaflympics, the world's quadrennial main event for hearing-impaired athletes, members of the Japanese team appeared at Tokyo City Hall on July 5 to talk to Governor Yuriko Koike about their upcoming competition. Governor Koike spoke to them using sign language to express her support, with the athletes returning the distinctive sign for applause in thanks.

The Deaflympics begin July 18 in Samsun, Turkey with 108 Japanese athletes in 11 different sports competing. 18 members of the team appeared at Tokyo City Hall. Swimmer Ryutaro Ibara, 23, told Koike, "I want to make this an opportunity for people in Japan and around the world to better understand handicapped athletes. I will do my best to help lead the team on to further success at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Governor Koike commented, "I am making Tokyo a place where every athlete has the opportunity to deliver their best. Please bring home as many medals as you can."

Source article published in Asahi Newspaper 7/6/17
translated by Brett Larner
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

2026 Izumo Ekiden Preview

We're at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii where JRN associate editor Mika Tokairin is making her debut here as an athlete after having come to Kona for years as a journalist. Next to Kona the most eyes worldwide will be on the Chicago Marathon , where a solid Japanese contingent is lining up including men's marathon NR holder Suguru Osako and half marathon NR holder Tomoki Ota , Kiyoshi Koga , and the other power couple in Japanese marathoning, last year's Berlin Marathon runner-up Akira Akasaki and Paris Olympics 6th-placer Yuka Akasaki . Osako's manager told JRN that he is going for the Asian Record of 2:04:43 held by Moroccan-born Bahraini El-Hassan El-Abbassi who was served up a 4-year suspension not long after setting the record. Last year's Warsaw Marathon winner Ryoma Takeuchi is at the Perth Running Festival marathon in Australia where he hopes to add a CR win to his PB at July's Gold Coast Marathon. On the home front Keita Satoh i...
Post a Comment
Read more

April's Kasumigaura Marathon Canceled

The organizing committee of the 31st Kasumigaura Marathon and International Blind Marathon has been working hard to develop safety and health protocols adequate to mitigate the risk of spreading the coronavirus at the event. But with increased case numbers in recent months and a number of prefectures remaining under an extended state of emergency declaration, the future outlook for the organizers' ability to hold the race safely remains uncertain. As a result, the decision has been made to cancel this year's race, originally scheduled for Apr. 18. The popular Kasumigaura Walking event held in tandem with the marathon has also been canceled due to the pandemic situation. We thank you for your understanding.  Translator's note: The Kasumigaura Marathon had 10,096 finishers in its last running in 2019. Its cancelation follows those of March's Tokushima Marathon and April's Nagano Marathon  earlier this week. The only major spring Japanese marathons still on the calen...
Post a Comment
Read more