TOKYO (December 23) - Twenty-one champions were crowned at the wrestling national championships in Tokyo on December 21-23 and were promptly named to the Japanese squads for tournaments in Europe and the United States from January to April.
The greco-roman team kicks off the winter tour schedule by traveling to the U.S. for the Concord Cup International tourney on February 1-2. The squad led by Asian Games champion Shingo Matsumoto will then travel to Colorado Springs for the David Schultz Memorial on February 8-9. The European leg of the team's winter tour includes the Ljubomir Gedza meet in Yugoslavia on March 15-16 and the Acropolis tourney two weeks later in Greece.
The freestyle team will also journey to the U.S. and the David Schultz Memorial. The freestyle squad then travels to Belarus for the Alexandre Medved tourney in Minsk on March 30-31 and the Dan Kolov meet in Sofia, Bulgaria on April 6-7.
The Japan Wrestling Federation will send the world champion women's team to the Ivan Yarygin Memorial in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on February 1-2. The team will also compete in the Klippan Open in Sweden on March 8-9 and the Poland Open on March 14-16. A squad of younger women is also scheduled to travel to France for the Schaub tournament in Tourcoing on January 19-20.
The Japanese teams have also arranged joint training sessions with local teams at each of the competitions.
YOSHIDA NAMED FILA FEMALE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR FOR 2002
TOKYO (December 23) - The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) named Asian Games and world champion Saori Yoshida as its female wrestler of the year for 2002. The 55-kg grappler from Chukyo Women's University was the third competitor from Japan to be named female wrestler of the year after Kyoko Hamaguchi in 1998 and Hitomi Sakamoto in 2000.
OI TAKES 3RD AT HENRI DEGLANE IN FRANCE
NICE, France (November 29-30) - Masanori Oi notched three wins against one loss at 66 kg to claim third place in the greco-roman competition at the Henri Deglane international tournament in France. Oi of the Japan Self Defense Forces team was a member of a non-student select team that entered the tournament. Takashi Yasuhara, also of the SDF team, went 2-1 at 60 kg to claim fifth place in the tournament.
JAPANESE CROWN PRINCE, BIG WRESTLING FAN?
TOKYO (December 23) - Crown Prince Naruhito -- the future emperor of Japan is apparently a well-versed fan of wrestling. According to Saburo Sugiyama, team director of the Chukyo Women's University wrestling team, New Zealand wrestling journalist Frank Shanly had the chance to meet the prince and Princess Masako during the couple's visit to New Zealand in mid-December. Shanly reportedly met with the prince and princess at a reception and was surprised by the prince's knowledge of wrestling.
The prince showed that he was well aware of the careers of former world champion sisters Miyu Yamamoto and Seiko Yamamoto as well as reigning world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi and her father, former pro wrestling great “Animal” Hamaguchi. Shanly concluded that the Japanese wrestling world must be doing a good job of public relations.
