NEWS
Urawa Reds Ohata, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies Takahashi and Ishikawa receive the Saitama City Sports Special Achievement Award
On the 25th, the Saitama City Sports Special Achievement Award ceremony was held at Saitama City Hall. Among the attendees were men's soccer representative Urawa Red Diamonds' Urawa Reds Ayumu Ohata, women's soccer representative Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies Hana Takahashi and Rion Ishikawa, who are athletes with ties to Saitama City who competed in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and impressed the city's citizens.
The three players were welcomed with applause from the citizens gathered at the entrance of City Hall and from Saitama city officials as they took part in the ceremony. After being presented with bouquets of flowers by the officials, each player gave a speech.
After the ceremony, the group moved to the mayor's office to meet with Hayato Shimizu who presented them with a certificate and a commemorative gift. After taking a commemorative photograph, the group enjoyed a friendly chat.
During the chat, when asked about their experiences in this tournament, the players each made the following comments:
Ayumu Ohata
"I am very grateful to receive such a wonderful award. The Paris Olympics is something I have always aimed for, so representing Japan and competing with pride on such a big stage while feeling nervous was an opportunity for me to grow as a person. I would like to make use of these experiences in my future soccer career."
Hana Takahashi
"It was disappointing that we weren't able to achieve good results as a team, but there were many experiences that could only be had at the Paris Olympics, so I was able to gain a lot of experience as an individual. Now I'm going to return to my team and do my best to liven up Saitama City even more."
Rion Ishikawa
"I was aiming to win so I was very disappointed, but I think I was able to do my best thanks to the support from Japan, so I'm very grateful. I will return to my team and work hard so that I can be selected for the next Olympics and clear up this disappointment on the same stage as the Olympics."
Mayor Shimizu also offered words of encouragement, saying, "Three years have passed since the Tokyo Olympics, and the Paris Olympics was a major event with spectators in attendance, but I was watching this one with great expectations as well. I'm sure there were some aspects where things didn't go as planned, but I believe your performance on this big stage gave courage to many citizens and children. I hope that you will continue to move forward toward your next big dream."
The ceremony ended with the speakers answering questions from Saitama City Council Chairman Hoashi Kazuyuki and Vice-Chair Nishiyama Yukiyo, who were also in attendance, and the atmosphere remained relaxed and friendly throughout.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
The three players were welcomed with applause from the citizens gathered at the entrance of City Hall and from Saitama city officials as they took part in the ceremony. After being presented with bouquets of flowers by the officials, each player gave a speech.
After the ceremony, the group moved to the mayor's office to meet with Hayato Shimizu who presented them with a certificate and a commemorative gift. After taking a commemorative photograph, the group enjoyed a friendly chat.
During the chat, when asked about their experiences in this tournament, the players each made the following comments:
Ayumu Ohata
"I am very grateful to receive such a wonderful award. The Paris Olympics is something I have always aimed for, so representing Japan and competing with pride on such a big stage while feeling nervous was an opportunity for me to grow as a person. I would like to make use of these experiences in my future soccer career."
Hana Takahashi
"It was disappointing that we weren't able to achieve good results as a team, but there were many experiences that could only be had at the Paris Olympics, so I was able to gain a lot of experience as an individual. Now I'm going to return to my team and do my best to liven up Saitama City even more."
Rion Ishikawa
"I was aiming to win so I was very disappointed, but I think I was able to do my best thanks to the support from Japan, so I'm very grateful. I will return to my team and work hard so that I can be selected for the next Olympics and clear up this disappointment on the same stage as the Olympics."
Mayor Shimizu also offered words of encouragement, saying, "Three years have passed since the Tokyo Olympics, and the Paris Olympics was a major event with spectators in attendance, but I was watching this one with great expectations as well. I'm sure there were some aspects where things didn't go as planned, but I believe your performance on this big stage gave courage to many citizens and children. I hope that you will continue to move forward toward your next big dream."
The ceremony ended with the speakers answering questions from Saitama City Council Chairman Hoashi Kazuyuki and Vice-Chair Nishiyama Yukiyo, who were also in attendance, and the atmosphere remained relaxed and friendly throughout.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
