Kosei Inoue Poised for National and Global Judo Leadership Posts
Judo legend Kosei Inoue maintains an active lifestyle. For the foreseeable future, his daily calendar will get even busier.
The men's under 100-kg division gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics is in the running for new administrative posts with the All Japan Judo Federation and the International Judo Federation.
According to published reports, Inoue was formally approved as a candidate for the AJJF's board of directors during the organization's online meeting on Thursday, June 5. An election for the board's new members will be held on June 24.
Ken Takayama, secretary general of Japan's judo governing body, believes Inoue is an ideal candidate to serve in a leadership role.
"He has a strong sense of unity, knowledge of judo and energy. We have high expectations of him in all aspects," Takayama was quoted as saying by The Sankei Shimbun .
Inoue, who turned 47 on May 15, previously served as the Japan men's national team head coach, including at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games. He also served on the AJJF's strengthening committee as a vice chairman.
After stepping down as head coach in 2021, Inoue reiterated his passion for the sport.
"Judo and sports will remain my contributions to the world," Inoue said at the time.
In related news, All Japan Judo Federation President Shinichi Nakamura is expected to be reappointed for another term.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
McIntosh sets world record in 400M freestyle at Canadian Swimming Trials
VICTORIA – Swimming star Summer McIntosh of Toronto set a world record in the 400-metre freestyle event on Saturday while competing in the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. McIntosh posted a time of three minutes, 54.18 seconds at Commonwealth Place to establish the new mark. She trimmed 1.20 seconds off the 2023 record set by Australia's Ariarne Titmus. She beat the other swimmers in Victoria by more than 13 seconds. The Toronto teenager celebrated her fourth career long-course world record by slapping the water twice with her right hand then pumping her fist. It was an unusual show of emotion from the usually stoic 18-year-old. 'You can see my outburst of emotion because I was really not expecting that time,' said McIntosh. The 400 free was her first-ever world record when she swam 3:56.08 at the 2023 Trials, but Titmus lowered the mark to 3:55.38 at world championships later that year. McIntosh finished behind Titmus for silver at last summer's Paris Olympics to go with the gold medals she won in the 200 and 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly. 'Just seeing the time, after two years of really pushing my hardest every day and training, not seeing the results. It is just all that energy and anger, blood, sweat and tears built up. Having an amazing swim is just really satisfying,' McIntosh said. She also holds the 400 IM world record, plus the 400 free, 200 butterfly and 400 IM in the short course pool. 'I knew my training has been really strong these past couple of months,' said McIntosh, who won the Northern Star Award as Canada's Athlete of the Year for 2024. 'I knew I was able to do something special.' Ella Jansen of Burlington, Ont., finished second in 4:07.36, under the AQUA A qualifying time of 4:10.23, good enough to be selected to Team Canada for the World Aquatics Championships July 26-Aug. 3 in Singapore. It was also a big night for Calgary native Cole Pratt, who trains at the High Performance Centre in Vancouver. After battling through years of injuries the 22-year-old returned to the top of the podium, winning the men's 100-metre backstroke in 54.27. That was below the Swimming Canada secondary standard of 54.48, earning him selection to his first national team since 2021. 'That was a really long time coming,' said Pratt, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Games but missed qualifying for Paris due to shoulder, neck and back injuries. 'Coming back to this was really hard. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to quit every day. I stuck with it and now I'm here.' Para swimmer Nicholas Bennett showed he had collected no dust after taking a break from the sport. The S14 swimmer with the Red Deer Catlina Swim Club won the men's 100-metre multi-class breaststroke in 1:05.13. 'I took a little bit of a mental health break, so we're just working on getting our strength back,' said the native of Parksville, B.C., who won three medals at the Paris Paralympics and was named co-flag-bearer for the closing ceremony. In other races, Kylie Masse of Lasalle, Ont., an Olympic medallist and world champion, cruised to victory in the women's 100-metre backstroke in 58.18 seconds. Finishing on her heels was Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., in 58.93. Masse was surprised with her time, which was faster than the 58.29 she swam at the Paris Olympics where she was fourth in the 100. 'I haven't really processed it but I'm really happy,' said Masse, who has a chance to continue her streak of winning at least one medal at every major international championships and Games since 2015. 'This year has been different, just taking a little bit of a step back but at the same time still putting in the work. I just feel like I have a different perspective on the sport. I'm really grateful to be here.' Ruck posted the third-best 100 back time of her career and her fastest in six years. 'I had no expectations,' said the three-time Olympian. 'I touched, looked at the time and was very excited and happy with what I saw.' Two-time Olympian Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivières, Que., experienced a first when she won the women's 200-metre breaststroke in 2:23.40. Paris Olympian Sophie Angus, who trains at the High Performance Centre in Ontario, was second in 2:24.84. Both swimmers were under the AQUA A qualifying time of 2:25.91. For Harvey, who trains with CAMO in Montreal, it was her first victory at a trials since she started attending the events in 2012. 'It's kind of crazy,' she said. 'I never thought that would be the first one. I'm pretty pleased with how I am feeling in the water right now, considering I'm not fully rested for this week.' Meanwhile, Ethan Ekk earned selection to his first-ever senior national team, winning a close men's 400 free in 3:49.57. That was just 0.06 seconds ahead of Jordi Vilchez of the Barrie Trojans, and under the Swimming Canada secondary standard. 'That was a very hard race, I can't lie. That last 50 was a battle for all of us,' said Ekk, 18, a Tallahassee, Fla., native whose parents are from Vancouver. 'I was aware of them the whole race. It wasn't until that last 50 I just put my head down and didn't know where anybody was at. I kind of just closed my eyes and tried to move as fast as I could,' Ekk said. 'I heard the announcer say 'Ethan Ekk,' and I was like 'Yes!' I was so pumped and excited and I'm so happy to represent Canada.' Oliver Dawson of the Grande Prairie Piranhas won the men's 200-m breaststroke in 2:11.25. The 17-year-old set a national age group record and earned selection to the world championships team by being under the Swimming Canada secondary standard. In other Para swimming events, Ali Diehl, an S9 swimmer who trains with the Prince Albert Sharks, won the women's multiclass 100-m breaststroke in 1:24.44. Aly Van Wyck-Smart of Toronto, who trains with Whitby Swimming, took the women's 50-metres S2 event in 1:47.31. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Merab Dvalishvili retains his 135-pound championship at UFC 316 with President Trump looking on
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Merab Dvalishvili retained his 135-pound championship when he tapped out Sean O'Malley in the third round in the main event of UFC 316 on Saturday night at the Prudential Center. Dvalishvili, a 34-year-old from the country of Georgia, won the belt in a convincing — though not aesthetically pleasing — unanimous decision last year over O'Malley. Dvalishvili had his number in the rematch in front of a packed crowd that included President Donald Trump and retired heavyweight great Mike Tyson. Dvalishvili (19-4) sat on top of the cage and bellowed toward the fans in the start of an exuberant celebration of his 13th straight MMA victory. 'I'm on top of the world!,' he said inside the cage. He was the only 135-pound champion on the card who won his bout. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison is now a UFC champion. Harrison tapped out 135-pound champion Julianna Peña with five seconds left in the second round to add another major championship in her fight career. No U.S. judoka — man or woman — had ever won an Olympic gold medal before Harrison beat Britain's Gemma Gibbons to win the women's 78-kilogram division at the 2012 London Olympics. She won gold again four years later at the Rio de Janeiro Games and made her MMA debut in 2018. The 34-year-old Harrison was a two-time $1 million prize champion in the Professional Fighters League lightweight championship division before she moved on to UFC last year. She won her first two UFC bouts and her record — now a sparkling 19-1 in MMA overall — coupled with her fame made her an instant contender for a title shot. She needed just three fights to become a champion. Harrison dropped to her knees in a teary celebration. She then called out Amanda Nunes, who retired in 2023 but said ahead of the fight she would return to the cage to fight the winner. It appears a title fight with Harrison looms in UFC. Harrison called out Nunes to enter the ring and after some encouragement from announcer Joe Rogan for security to open the cage door, she walked and the two went face-to-face. Nunes said she would indeed fight Harrison at some point for the 135-pound belt. The crowd went wild as the two engaged in a brief staredown. They had roared in delight hours earlier when Trump walked out to a thunderous standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card. Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats for UFC 316 to Kid Rock's 'American Bad Ass.' Harrison left the cage after the win and hugged Trump and posed for photos with the President and his entourage. It wasn't the only nod to Trump's latest appearance at a UFC fight. UFC fighter Kevin Holland choked out Vicente Luque to win the first fight with Trump in the building. He scaled the cage and shook hands with Trump. He briefly chatted with Trump and White before he returned for his post-fight interview. Joe Pyfer draped himself in the American flag after he defeated Kelvin Gastelum in a middleweight bout by unanimous decision. 'We've got the President of the United States! We've got Mike Tyson,' Pyfer bellowed inside the cage. ___ AP sports:
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Athletes Unlimited Softball League opens with high hopes and support from MLB and USA Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Athletes Unlimited Softball League made its debut after a year of buildup and a recent collaboration with Major League Baseball. The Bandits beat the Talons 3-1 in the first game Saturday in Rosemont, Illinois. The Volts were set to play the Blaze in Wichita, Kansas later in the day. 'I kind of feel like we blinked and it was here,' Cat Osterman, general manager of the Volts, said. 'But then there were moments where it felt like we weren't ever going to get here either because it took a whole year of process. We're all excited.' Athletes Unlimited has featured softball since 2020, when it unveiled a unique format that crowned an individual champion. The organization that focuses exclusively on women's sports now has launched a traditional four-team softball league in a traveling format. The Blaze, Volts, Bandits and Talons will play 24 games each, touring to 12 cities. The top two teams will compete in the best-of-three AUSL Championship from July 26-28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. MLB said last month that it is making a strategic investment in the league. It will include an undisclosed amount for operational costs and a commitment to help it gain visibility. It will market the AUSL and its athletes during its All-Star Game, throughout the postseason and during broadcasts on the MLB Network and streams on USA Softball executive director Craig Cress likes the fact that a league with MLB's backing exists for players to join after their college careers. He sees it as an opportunity to keep the top American players facing elite competition so Team USA will be ready for Olympic softball that will be played in Oklahoma City in 2028. Japan has won the past two Olympic gold medals in the sport. Cress said he hopes the AUSL emerges as something comparable to Japan's well-established softball leagues. 'We have a great respect and a great rivalry,' Cress said of the history with Japan. 'But this Olympics on our home soil is our gold medal. We need to go get it. So from that standpoint, I know we've got a long way to go, but that's the end goal.' Cress said it was smart for Athletes Unlimited to add former MLB executive Kim Ng as commissioner and to seek out the league as a partner. He hopes the AUSL can catch fire the way the WNBA has the past two years with Caitlin Clark. 'The WNBA is now starting to really do some things with the star power they have coming in,' he said. 'But what got them to the point to be able to keep their athletes from going overseas to play? It was the involvement of the NBA.' There are indicators that this league could last longer than those that have come and gone over the years, starting with the well-structured support system, stability and the experience Athletes Unlimited had with the sport before launching this league. 'I think that one thing you hear about Athletes Unlimited from anybody that's been around it is we've done what we said we were going to do,' Athletes Unlimited co-founder Jon Patricof said. 'We've been around now for five years.' Bri Ellis, who was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year for Arkansas this season, played for the Talons on Saturday after being the No. 2 overall pick in the AUSL draft last month. She said she's thrilled about the timing of the league's rollout. 'It was kind of this relief that I don't have to be done now,' she said. 'I can keep going and keep playing and there's still a story to be written for me in my career, and so I'm just really grateful for everyone that's come before me and has worked their tails off to get the sport to where it is now.' ___ AP sports:
