Corporate Blog

The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 were held without spectators after a year of delay. Thanks to the daily support from many of you, nine athletes were selected from the Company for Japan national teams. We would like to express our gratitude to your warm support.

We would like to share with you the following words of appreciation from CCBJI athletes participated in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

■Comments from Katsuji Takashima, a member of the Japan Equestrian Team for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Thank you for your continued understanding and support for the activities of para-athletes.

I was not able to get one of the top prizes that I had aimed for this time, but I feel that I tried my very best and carried through it.

I had to compete with no spectators in attendance, but I received cheerful messages via internal social media and the Coca-Cola system members engaging in the beverage provision at the venue cheered me in person. They were of great help for me.

Also, as Japan being the host of the sport even, I encountered wonderful hospitality of local staff during the Games, and I was grateful for their dedication and thoughtful actions.

I am relieved to be able to finish the competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games without any trouble, and at the same time, I learned that there are still many barriers to overcome in order to compete in the world.

I intend to tackle challenges one by one and keep on growing. Your continued support would be much appreciated!

© 2021 – IPC / Sponichi/AFLO – All rights reserved

Takashima participates in the Para-Equestrian Individual Competition (Grade IV) on August 16, 2021.

■Comments from seven players of Red Sparks, members of Japan Women's National Hockey Team for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

We are grateful that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 took place without incident and seven players from Red Sparks, the largest-ever number of participants from our team, played in the ground at Oi Hockey Stadium, the venue constructed for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
We could not achieve results as we had aimed for, but we are pleased to announce that Mitsuhashi, who was called up as a reserve player for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, played in the third game of the five preliminaries, marking as her third consecutive entry in the Olympic Games, following the Olympic Games London 2012 and Rio 2016.
We fought each game to our fullest, taking our motto "Don't give up until the end" to heart. "Winning one game at the Olympic Games" was such a high hurdle, but each player had a valuable experience leading to the future.
We found your cheers very encouraging. Thank you very much for your kind support.

© 2021 – IOC / Getty Images Sport – All rights reserved

Nishikori participates in the Japan-New Zealand match in Women's tournament Pool B on July 26, 2021. She plays it cool in her second consecutive Olympics, following the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

© 2021 – IOC / AFLO SPORT – All rights reserved

Asai participates in the Japan vs New Zealand match in Women's tournament Pool B on July 26, 2021. Asai, a lively player who inspires other members, is smiling and rushing up to other members.

© 2021 – IOC / Getty Images Sport – All rights reserved

Yamada participates in the Japan vs New Zealand match in Women's tournament Pool B on July 26, 2021. Yamada is highly concentrated despite her first appearance in the grand setting of the Olympics.

© 2021 – IOC / AFLO SPORT – All rights reserved

Matsumoto participates in the Japan vs New Zealand match in Women's tournament Pool B on July 26, 2021. Matsumoto reads other players' moves with effective stick handling.

© 2021 – IOC / AP / AFLO – All rights reserved

Mori participates in the Japan vs Spain match in Women's tournament Pool B on July 31, 2021. She scores the first point.

© 2021 – IOC / AFLO SPORT – All rights reserved

Omoto participates in the Japan vs New Zealand match in Women's tournament Pool B on July 26, 2021. Omoto, the youngest player in the team, is dribbling with strong ball control.

© 2021 – IOC / Reuters / AFLO – All rights reserved

Mitsuhashi participates in the Japan vs Australia match in Women's tournament Pool B on July 28, 2021. She has participated in third consecutive Olympic Games.

■Comments from Kameli Soejima, a member of the Japan Men's National Rugby Team for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

I am grateful that I could play in two consecutive Olympic Games following the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 took place after an extra year of waiting and we could play in the grand setting of the Olympics thanks to all the support from many people.
I did not get to see my family for many days during a training camp and national representative team's team activities under Covid-19 pandemic, but my efforts paid off when my family and the people supporting me could see me play in the Olympic Games.
Our team could not achieve results we aimed for, but I put my best effort in accomplishing what I needed to do as the oldest team member; for instance, I scored a try against Fiji, my homeland, during the second half the pool match. Thank you very much for your support throughout the event.
(Soejima resigned from Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. in the end of September 2021.)

© 2021 – IOC / The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images – All rights reserved

Soejima participates in the Fiji vs Japan match in Rugby Sevens Men's Pool B on July 26, 2021.

Athletes went through various mixed feelings about the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 to be held under unprecedented circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We were inspired by how our colleague athletes threw themselves fiercely into the Games. Please look forward to their performance going forward.
We will continue to respect diversity of each and every employee to provide opportunities for all to perform the best of their ability.

Coca-Cola is a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner.