[Asian Games] Japan's Men's and Women's Handball Teams Aim for Gold Medal on Home Soil

Here, we will share comments from the staff and players who attended the national team announcement press conference held at Ajinomoto National Training Center (Tokyo) on the same day.

Staff Comments

From left: Executive Director Hidenori Miyamoto, High Performance Assistant Director Yoshio Nakagawa, Coach Tony Giurana, Coach Morten Soubak

Executive Director Hidenori Miyamoto "We aim to achieve our goals of the men's team winning for the first time on home soil, and the women's team winning for the second consecutive time, following last time. We also have the Los Angeles Olympics qualifiers coming up next year (2027). We will approach this tournament as a preliminary match, play high-intensity games, and aim for the top."

High Performance Assistant Director Yoshio Nakagawa "We have been accumulating strength to compete with the world in both men's and women's categories. We view the Asian Games in Japan as an important stage leading up to next year's Olympic qualifiers, and we want to approach the tournament with the best possible preparation."

Comet JAPAN Coach Tony Giurana "Of the 16 selected players, 15 are experienced members who participated in the Asian Championship in January. I am confident that the 16 players are ready to fight with all their might for the national team. The team has grown step by step, having experienced last year's World Championship and this year's Asian Championship. First, we want to achieve a slightly better performance than in the Asian Championship. We particularly want to fix the issues we had in defense in this tournament and win a medal. We hope that many people will come to the venue and cheer for the team and the players." (Comment via video message)

Orihime Japan Coach Morten Soubak "I am delighted that we were able to select a squad in very good condition. We are also promoting generational change, as seen in the selection of Ai Nakao, who was part of the team that achieved an excellent 7th place at the Women's Junior World Championship. I believe that our ability to further strengthen and develop our defense and fast breaks, and to minimize our mistakes, will be the key to winning the Asian Games for the second consecutive time."

Men's Player Comments

From left: Kotaro Mizumachi, Hiroyasu Tamagawa, Naoki Fujisaka

Men's Player Kotaro Mizumachi (Japan Handball Association) "I am honored to be selected for the Asian Games. I had a bitter experience in the Asian Championship in January, where I keenly felt the importance of every single point, and I have been working to overcome that. Our goal is to win the gold medal, and I want to report good results to everyone."

Men's Player Hiroyasu Tamagawa (Zeekstar Tokyo) "This will be my third Asian Games. I haven't won a gold medal yet, so I want to win it together as a team. Also, within the context of a multi-sport event, not just handball, I want to elevate the value of handball."

Men's Player Naoki Fujisaka (Daido Steel Phenix TOKAI) "This tournament is being held in Aichi Prefecture, where my base is. I am happy to be able to play in front of so many fans. My goal is the gold medal. I want to liven up the tournament with our fast-paced handball."

Women's Player Comments

From left: Natsuki Aizawa, Sakura Kameya, Claire Francis Gray

Women's Player Natsuki Aizawa (Thüringer HC <Germany>) "Although the preparation period is short, we want to work together as a team to win for the second consecutive time."

Women's Player Sakura Kameya (CSM Slatina <Romania>) "I want to give my all and pass on my experience to the team. I will do my best to win the best color medal."

Women's Player Claire Francis Gray (Prestige International Aranmare Toyama) "I want to build good momentum towards next year's Olympic qualifiers. With the advantage of it being held in Japan, I will do my best to win."

Japan National Team Roster Women's Team Asian Games

Japan National Team Roster Men's Team Asian Games

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