On February 8 (Wednesday), a round-table discussion on basketball, handball, and soccer was held at the JFA House Japan Football Museum (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo), with Ayano Kurosawa of Nippon TV/Tokyo Verdi Beleza participating. bottom.
At the round-table discussion, under the theme of “Let’s keep doing what we love. Let’s keep playing sports.”
This event is an initiative for International Women’s DayImplemented as part of the “Keep Playing Project”. Two players from each of the Japan Women’s Basketball League (W League), Japan Handball League (JHL), and Japan Women’s Professional Soccer League (WE League) participated and exchanged opinions.
■ Symposium details
Date and time: February 8, 2023 (water)
Venue: JFA House Japan Football Museum Virtual Stadium
Contents: A cross-sport round-table discussion and photo session with the theme of “Keep doing what you love. Keep playing sports.”
participant
W League: Naho Mizuta (Tokyo Haneda Vickies), Moeno Oka (Yamanashi Queen Beads)
JHL: Gray Claire Francis (OMRON), Aya Yokoshima (Prestige International Aranmare, online participation)
WE League: Arisa Matsubara (Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara), Ayano Kurosawa (Nippon TV Tokyo Verdi Beleza)
The round-table discussion began with self-introductions, followed by the presentation of the sports and special skills that each player is working on, as well as their favorite photos.
One of my favorite photos of Kurosawa is when he interacts with his fans and supporters. When asked why, he replied, “I am able to play soccer because of my fans and supporters. I believe that I am able to participate in the competition because of everyone’s support.”
Below are some excerpts from the discussion.
――For girls to continue playing sports?
A safe environment for sports is important. Injuries are often the reason for quitting sports. I think that women have various life stages, and I think it would be good if an environment was developed where they can face each life stage while engaging in sports.
――What do you want to tackle across competitions?
I want to watch a basketball or handball game. I’m very interested, but I didn’t know when and where it was held. I want to see female athletes competing in other sports. And I think that by transmitting what we watched, the boundaries of sports will expand.
I don’t have many opportunities to interact with athletes from other sports, but through talking with athletes from other sports, I was able to sort out the concerns unique to women and the reasons why female athletes quit the sport. I learned that there are common thoughts and worries even if the competition is different. In order for women’s sports as a whole to become lively, I think it’s important to have relationships with athletes in other sports, not just soccer.
Regardless of whether the girls choose to play or not, I would be happy if they could get involved in soccer, such as watching games and cheering for their favorite teams, rather than completely leaving soccer.
