JOC Sports Awards Ceremony on Olympic Day 2016

The Japanese Olympic Committee is pleased to announce that it has held the JOC Sports Awards Ceremony for the Annual Awards of FY2015 and the Woman and Sport Award at the Ajinomoto National Training Centre in Tokyo, on Olympic Day 2016.

The Most Valuable Athlete Award,　the most prestigious award among the JOC Annual Awards, was awarded to the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Team for the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships who won gold medal in Men’s Team Final. This is Japan’s first World Team title for Artistic Gymnastics since 1978. Members of the Japanese National Team, including Kohei Uchimura, five-time Olympic medallist (All Around, Team, Floor) and six-time World gold medallist (All Around); Kenzo Shirai, two-time World gold medallist (Floor); and Kazuma Kaya, World gold medallist (Pommel Horse); attend the ceremony. 　

The Merit Award was awarded to six athletes, such as "King of Gymnast" Kohei Uchimura and Misato Nakamura, gold medallist of the World Judo Championships 2015 (Women’s 48 - 52kg) and Beijing 2008 bronze medallist.

Yuki Ota, gold medallist of the FIE World Fencing Championships 2015 (Men’s Individual Foil)　and two-time Olympic silver medallist; and Fumiaki Tanaka of the Japanese National Men’s Rugby Team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup; both participated the ceremony as the Awardees of the Outstanding Performance Award. In addition, the Special Distinction Award (Top Athlete Award) was received by Olympian Sara Takanashi, who has won three World Cup titles (2013, 2014 and 2016).

Two national teams and twelve athletes were honoured for the Annual Awards and Noriko Kishida of the Japan Rugby Football Union received the Women and Sport Award.

The ceremony was held in the presence of JOC Council Members, JOC Executive Board Members, JOC Honorary Members, and Tokyo 2020 Partners.

Annual Award - Most Valuable Athlete

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Team for the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships

Awarded athletes:

Kohei UCHIMURA, Ryohei KATO, Yusuke TANAKA, Kenzo SHIRAI, Kazuma KAYA, Naoto

HAYASAKA and Koji YAMAMURO

Achievements:

Gold medal in Men’s Team Final of the 46th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2015

held in Glasgow. Japan’s first World team title in 37 years.

Annual Award - Merit Awards

Daiya SETO (Swimming)

Kanako WATANABE (Swimming)

Kohei UCHIMURA (Gymnastics Artistic)

Saori YOSHIDA (Wrestling)

Kaori ICHO (Wrestling)

Misato NAKAMURA (Judo)

Annual Award - Rookies of the Year

Abdul Hakim SANI BROWN (Athletics)

Rikako IKEE (Swimming)

Annual Award - Outstanding Performance Awards

Yuzuru HANYU (Figure Skating)

Yuki OTA (Fencing)

Men’s Rugby Team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup

Annual Award - Special Distinction Award (Top Athlete Award)

Sara TAKANASHI (Ski Jumping)

Women and Sport Award

Noriko KISHIDA (Rugby)

About the JOC Sports Awards:

The JOC Sports Awards are presented to persons who have distinguished themselves in promoting the Olympic Movement and various areas of sports. The JOC Sports Awards consists the following 5 Awards: JOC Order, Annual Awards, Meritorious Service Award, Top Athlete Support Award and Women and Sport Award. Each year the ceremony for the Annual Awards is held in June to commemorate Olympic Day.

Each fiscal year, the following Annual Awards are presented to individuals who achieve distinguished results: Most Valuable Athlete Award, Merit Award(s), Rookie(s) of the Year, and Outstanding Performance Award(s) and Special Distinction Award (Top Athlete Award).

The Women and Sport Award, which was created in FY2014, is granted to individuals or organisations recognized for making prominent contributions to raising status of women and encouraging their participations in sports. In 2014 the award was presented to the Japan Ladies Tennis Federation, the first time that the award was presented to an organisation rather than an individual.

About the Japanese Olympic Committee:

The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) is the National Olympic Committee for Japan, and isrecognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole governing bodyresponsible for promoting the Olympic Movement in Japan. Constituted in accordance with

the Olympic Charter and the ideals of Olympism, the objectives of the JOC are to contribute tothe promotion of sport by providing continuous support to the Olympic Movement, to promoteworld peace and international goodwill, and to further the development of sport and athletes inJapan.

The JOC is a public interest incorporated foundation that develops sporting strategies incooperation with other national sporting bodies, conducts high performance athleteprogrammes, selects teams and raises funds to send Japanese athletes to such internationalevents as the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, Asian Games and Universiade.Established in 1911, the JOC celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. Two-time Olympian(1972,1976) in equestrian, IOC Member Tsunekazu Takeda serves as president.

For more information, please contact:

Japanese Olympic Committee

Public Affairs, Marketing & Strategic Planning Department

Tel: +81-3-3481-2258

Fax: +81-3-3481-2282

e-mail: pressoffice@joc.or.jp

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