Japan Disabled Ski Federation Season Kickoff Press Conference

At the outset, Chairman Shigeru Shiina praised the Japanese team's performance at the PyeongChang Paralympics this past March, where they won 10 medals, and outlined the future direction of the federation under its new leadership.

Chairman Shiina highlighted three key priorities: "enhancing athletic performance" for the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, "strengthening outreach" with a focus on discovering new athletes, and "establishing operational foundations" centered on improving back-office support and strengthening financial resources.
He also expressed determination to compete with full force toward the 2022 Beijing Paralympics through domestic and international competitions, including the Nordic World Cup in Sapporo in March 2019 and the Japan Para Alpine Skiing event, given the global focus on Paralympic sports.

 Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd. Ohinata, Head of the Strengthening Division, explained the purpose of establishing the new division. She mentioned the benefits of scale and improved mutual understanding achieved through unified activities as a single organization (federation), rather than the previous category-based approach. She stated the goal is to deepen communication between directors, coaches, and athletes more than ever before. She then outlined the target for the Beijing Games: to win medals in all three competition categories (Alpine, Nordic, and Snowboard).

 The heads coaches of the three disciplines, along with designated athletes including Daiki Morii, Ryo Kano, and Momoka Muraoka, also took the stage to share their aspirations and determination for international competitions and the Beijing Paralympics.