Loud cheers for the men's wheelchair basketball team! They've secured their ticket to Rio!
The Japan Wheelchair Basketball Federation (JWBF) hosted the "Mitsubishi Electric 2015 IWBF Asia-Oceania Championship Chiba" (Sponsor: Mitsubishi Electric; Official Partners: Suntory Holdings, IHI, PwC Japan) at Chiba Port Arena in Chiba City from October 10th to 17th.
This tournament, held every two years, determines the top wheelchair basketball teams in the Asia-Oceania zone. It also serves as a qualifying event for the World Championships and the Paralympics, with this edition competing for spots in the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Twelve countries and regions participated in the men's competition: Afghanistan, Australia, China, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and the United Arab Emirates. Three countries participated in the women's competition: Australia, China, and Japan.
The top three men's teams and the women's champion will earn qualification for the Rio Games.
On the final day, the 17th, Japan faced South Korea in the bronze medal match. Japan trailed 15-24 after the first quarter, but in the second quarter, captain Reo Fujimoto and ace Hiroaki Kozai led the team to pull away from South Korea, securing an 80-56 victory. This win earned the Japanese men's team a spot at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. This will be the 12th consecutive Paralympic Games and the 12th overall for the Japanese men's team in this sport.
The bronze medal match drew a large crowd of fans who cheered loudly for Japan. The game was also broadcast live on NHK BS1, symbolizing the growing interest in disabled sports in recent years. In the men's final, Australia faced Iran, with Australia winning the gold. In the women's competition, China took gold, while the Japanese women's team, finishing third, missed out on a ticket to Rio.
■ Collaboration with Manga "Real"
At the tournament, manga master Takehiko Inoue, known for the smash hit "Slam Dunk," helped energize the event. Inoue is currently serializing the popular manga "Real," featuring wheelchair basketball, in the comic magazine Weekly Young Jump (Shueisha). Chiba Urban Monorail collaborated with "Real" to create a "train body wrap advertisement" and formed a train set featuring ad takeovers. Additionally, they displayed event announcement and collaboration signage on the venue walls and set up a message board for supporters. They distributed a "Japan National Team Support Book" containing the first chapter of "Real". The magazine and its official website also featured special coverage of the tournament.
Event website: http://iwbf-aoz-chiba.com/index.html
JWBF Site: http://www.jwbf.gr.jp/
Weekly Young Jump Feature Page: http://youngjump.jp/real/report/20150903.html
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