
Table tennis: Miu Hirano to join Super League in China
"I'm really happy to participate with Shenzhen University. I'll do my best," the 25-year-old said of her new team, which counts the reigning two-time women's singles world champion Sun Yingsha among its members.
Hirano made a second-round exit at the worlds in May in Qatar and later revealed she will be involved less frequently in Japan national team activities.
"I want to take on table tennis with a different, renewed mindset. I want to change my environment," she said upon her return to Japan after the tournament.
Hirano first played in the Super League in 2016 when she was 16, representing Ordos 1980.
She won team silver with Japan both at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and in Paris.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Japan Times
3 days ago
- Japan Times
U.S. legend Michael Phelps slams USA Swimming and calls for overhaul
Michael Phelps has launched a scathing attack on USA Swimming's leadership, with the 23-time Olympic gold medalist branding the body weak and demanding sweeping reforms after what he sees as years of organizational decline. The 40-year-old American, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals, delivered his broadside while revealing he might not want his four young sons competing in the sport given the current state of swimming in the United States. Phelps traced his frustrations back through his competitive career, saying he often felt that his voice went unheard, was "told to be grateful for the chance to compete" and that it was more important to stay quiet and to keep the peace.


Japan Today
27-07-2025
- Japan Today
Amateur football leagues win over cynical Chinese fans
Amateur football leagues springing up around China have drawn millions of viewers online, boosted domestic tourism to lesser-known locales and sparked good-natured rivalry between cities By Jing Xuan TENG On a summer's day in the city of Suzhou, about 40,000 people crowded into a stadium while thousands more gathered by public screens to watch China's hottest sport -- amateur football. A balm for cynical fans drained by years of corruption and ineptitude in the professional game, the amateur leagues springing up around China have drawn millions of viewers online, boosted domestic tourism to lesser-known locales and sparked good-natured rivalry between cities. At the sold-out match in searing heat in Suzhou, near Shanghai, the home crowd jumped out of their seats and cheered when 17-year-old Kou Cheng scored against Yangzhou city in the second minute. Many wore bright red jerseys and T-shirts emblazoned with the characters for "Suzhou" and used paper fans to cool themselves. "Compared to other competitions, the fans here are more passionate, and even if they don't understand football, the atmosphere is lively," Qian Chunyan, a 35-year-old Suzhou resident, told AFP. The tournament first took off in the eastern province of Jiangsu -- where Suzhou is located -- earlier this year. The live-streamed matches soon drew millions of spectators on social media, putting smaller provincial cities on the domestic tourism map. That, in turn, has created a local consumption boom, giving cities that host matches a much-needed reprieve from years of sluggish spending. The games, initially sponsored by local businesses such as barbecue restaurants, have now attracted backing from big-name companies like e-commerce platforms Alibaba and 'Pure football' Fans of local amateur leagues told AFP they were drawn to matches by the simplicity of football not weighed down by the vast sums of money the professional game involves. "With widespread public participation and minimal corporate involvement, it's a more pure form of football," Wang Xiangshuo, a Suzhou football fan, told AFP. "Winning or losing doesn't matter, purity is most important." Professional football clubs in China, even in its top Super League, have been plagued by match-fixing and gambling scandals. The national team's abysmal performances at international tournaments often draw scorn and abuse from social media users. President Xi Jinping has said he wants China to win the World Cup one day. But the men's team are ranked 94th in the world by FIFA this year and they have only qualified once for the World Cup, in 2002, when they lost all three of their games without scoring a goal. Players in provincial leagues range from high school students to civil servants, including village Communist Party secretary Dai Hu, whose on-field appearances saw him featured by state news agency Xinhua. Local amateur tournaments are "a great model for community football, allowing every citizen to have their own home team", Jin Shan, a football expert at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told AFP. "It brings football closer to the general public." Tourism boom Local tourism has seen a boost from the league's popularity too. Since it began in May, the Jiangsu amateur tournament -- affectionately dubbed the "Su Super League" -- has accounted for a growth in tourism spending in six cities across the province of more than 14 percent, according to state-run broadcaster CGTN. Chen Tianshu, a souvenirs manufacturer in Nantong city, told AFP her colleagues rushed to make enamel badges with team logos and ice cream popsicles in the shape of local symbols after seeing branded tote bags sell out in a neighbouring city. "The ice cream sold very well, with the first batch of a thousand pieces already almost sold out," said Chen, whose company comprises just a dozen people. "Our performance in the Su Super League is giving Nantong a rare moment to shine," she said. Other provinces eager for their share of the amateur football boom are following in Jiangsu's footsteps, with southern Jiangxi province hosting a two-stage tournament this month. Social media trends in China often lead to unexpected locations receiving sudden surges of visitors. Travellers flocked to the industrial town of Zibo in northern China in 2023, after videos featuring its regional barbecue style went viral. "This year's success (of the Jiangsu league) is an unexpected delight," souvenir maker Chen told AFP. "I hope this will be a long-lasting tradition." © 2025 AFP
.jpg%3Fwidth%3D780%26fit%3Dcover%26gravity%3Dfaces%26dpr%3D2%26quality%3Dmedium%26source%3Dnar-cms%26format%3Dauto&w=3840&q=100)

Nikkei Asia
01-07-2025
- Nikkei Asia
Seiko Hashimoto breaks Japan's Olympic glass ceiling
Sports Former Cabinet minister becomes first woman to head nation's Olympic committee Seiko Hashimoto speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on June 26. Her political background is not unusual in Japan's sports world. © Kyodo MASAKO HARA TOKYO -- Seiko Hashimoto, a seven-time Olympian and former Cabinet minister, was last week elected as the first woman president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC). Nicknamed the "Child of the Olympic Games," Hashimoto was born in 1964 just 5 days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Her name is derived from seika , the Japanese word for the sacred Olympic flame. A rare dual-sport athlete, she competed in four consecutive Winter Olympics in speed skating from 1984 to 1994 (winning a bronze medal in 1992) and three straight Summer Olympics in track cycling from 1988 to 1996.