Figure skating: Retired star Mao Asada to open coaching academy
KYODO NEWS - 17 hours ago - 18:40 | Sports, All
Retired figure skater Mao Asada, who won silver for Japan at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, announced Thursday she is embarking on a full-time coaching career.
The 34-year-old hopes to train some of the sport's future stars at her school, the Kinoshita MAO Academy, which is scheduled to open on Aug. 1.
"I'm taking a new step. I want to instruct each skater carefully one-on-one," Asada said at a press conference in Tokyo.
The three-time world champion has stayed active, performing in ice shows since retiring from competition in 2017.
The school has been developed with the backing of the Tokyo-based Kinoshita Group, which operates construction and nursing care businesses.
Asada oversaw the construction of a rink in the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa that was completed in November.
She plans to instruct around 10 pupils aged between 5 and 9 at the school, hoping to "develop skaters who can be world No. 1."
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Shogi retains more prestige among Japanese players, but chess is gaining ground in the country thanks to global growth. | AFP-JIJI 'Not only that, but (players) are interacting with an international community, learning English and enjoying all these other small benefits,' Manabe adds. 'In the future, as the world grows more connected, these experiences will be useful.' As part of his tenure as JCF president, Manabe is spearheading what he calls 'Vision 2030' — a set of goals for the JCF to achieve by the end of the decade. Many are community focused, with his most direct goal being to foster the new generation of chess enthusiasts. 'Right now, we have around 900 chess players in our federation, and 17 titled players like FIDE Master Taira Tyler Tanaka , and International Master Nanjo Ryosuke ,' he says, adding that an 18th titled member is awaiting final confirmation. 'With the passion and strength I've seen recently, I'm aiming for 3,000 members, with 30 titled players by 2030. But that doesn't mean we're forgetting our casual players. I want to start supporting chess clubs in smaller cities so nobody is out of reach of a club. Not only that, but we produce our own chess content.' As he says this, Manabe shows me the unique wooden boards hosting the top four tables at the tournament. These are digital boards, designed to capture the game in real time. Next to them, a blinking camera indicates a running livestream of the game. Opening his phone to he shows me the stream on the world's most popular chess website — hundreds of viewers are watching. As we leave the hall, Manabe confides one final goal to me, one that he feels would be the pinnacle achievement of Japanese chess and a tangible symbol of all the hard work put in by the local chess community. 'We've had some very strong chess players recently, and so I think it won't be too long now. But one day soon, all of us will be welcoming the first Japanese grandmaster in history.'
