The training camp for the Japanese national team candidate for blind soccer at the Tokyo Paralympics has been released for the first time in about nine months.
Blind soccer is a five-player parasport, four of which are visually impaired players who wear eye masks and rely on the sound of a ball with bells and the voice of a guide's instructions.
The training camp for the Japanese national team, who will participate in the Tokyo Paralympics for the first time in the host country frame, has been closed since July last year due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but it was opened to the press on the 24th for the first time in about 9 months. I did.
The training camp was held on the ground in Kodaira, Tokyo, and the 12 athletes who participated first worked on basic exercises such as dribbling and passing.
After that, for the international tournament scheduled for next month, we practiced 3 to 3 in a match format to strengthen the speed of switching offense and defense and the amount of exercise, which are the themes of the team.
Captain and ace Ryo Kawamura handled the ball lightly by cutting with skillful dribbling, and 42-year-old veteran Sasaki Roberto Izumi scored a daring shot.
Kawamura said, "I feel that I have strengthened my skills and physical skills. I want to make the utmost preparations so that I can demonstrate what I have been working on at the international competition."
The representative from Japan for the Tokyo Paralympics will be unofficially decided by the end of June based on the results of the international competition.