Premium Friday The business world is buzzing with "Boccia"
Keidanren and the Economic Council for the Olympics, Paralympics, and Related Events held the corporate boccia tournament "Premium Boccia Friday" (sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Premium Friday Promotion Council) at OOTEMORI in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on July 28.
This event aimed to simultaneously promote the sixth "Premium Friday" and the Paralympic sport "Boccia." Responding to the council's call, 37 corporate teams registered to participate. On the day, 16 teams that advanced through the preliminaries and 4 teams from the organizers competed fiercely for the top spot.
Boccia, which gained attention after the Japanese team won a silver medal at the Rio Paralympics, involves players throwing red and blue balls toward a white target ball (jack ball), competing to see whose ball lands closest to it. This tournament followed the basic competition rules while applying some special rules, and matches were played on courts sized to fit the venue.
The main tournament featured 12 companies: the 8 teams that won their preliminary matches that day, plus 4 teams representing "Keidanren," "Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry," "Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games," and "Tokyo Metropolitan Government." The finals were contested by 3 teams: "Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry," "The Asahi Shimbun," and "Toppan Printing." Amidst some "miracle throws," Toppan Printing emerged victorious, claiming the top spot among the 37 companies. They received loud cheers, applause, and a certificate of commendation.
Kunio Ishizuka, Keidanren Vice Chairman and head of the Premium Friday Promotion Council, stated, "One of the meanings of Premium Friday is to challenge new things," adding, "I hope it becomes a day to challenge various things. Today, I believe everyone learned about the sport of boccia and witnessed a new form of Premium Friday." While the date for the next tournament is undecided, the plan is to continue the event leading up to 2020.
Hidetaka Sugimura, captain of Japan's boccia team at the Rio Paralympics, also attended the venue. He showcased his silver medalist skills in an exhibition. As Sugimura's balls landed precisely where declared, exclamations of "Wow! Amazing!" rang out repeatedly. Sugimura expressed his joy, saying, "The excitement around boccia has been incredible since the Rio Games. As an athlete, I'm thrilled." He added with hope, "Boccia is a Paralympic sport, but its great appeal is that anyone can play it, regardless of disability or age. I hope it becomes a national sport by 2020."
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