Latest news with #ChiharuShida
The Mainichi
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Badminton: Shida, Matsuyama looking for Japan Open doubles title
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Paris Olympic women's badminton doubles bronze medalists Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama vowed Tuesday to win the title at the Japan Open international competition in July. The popularity of the "Shida-Matsu" pair has surged, even beyond the badminton world, since last year's Olympics. "We want to prepare well and put on a good performance," Matsuyama said at a press conference. "We haven't won an international meet in Japan, so we'll do our best to claim the title." The Japan Open is scheduled for July 14-20 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. "It's a chance for people who haven't seen badminton in person to see us play," Shida said. "Last year's Japan Open was just after the Olympics, so we weren't in top form. But we'll try to give our 100 percent (this time)." The Shida-Matsu pair lost in the quarterfinals last year.
Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Japan and Indonesia top their groups at Sudirman Cup
Paris 2024 Olympics - Badminton - Women's Doubles Bronze Medal Match - Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Paris, France - August 03, 2024. Nami Matsuyama of Japan and Chiharu Shida of Japan celebrate after winning bronze in the match against Pearly Tan of Malaysia and Muralitharan Thinaah of Malaysia. REUTERS/Ann Wang XIAMEN, China - Japan's Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida beat Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-18 18-21 21-18 in the women's doubles to take Japan to the top of Group C with a 3-2 victory at the Sudirman Cup on Thursday. Both teams have already booked their spots in Friday's quarter-finals of the biennial mixed team competition after beating France and Australia earlier this week. Malaysia's two-decade wait for a Sudirman Cup win over Japan continues, having last beaten them in 2005, while Japan extended their dominance to nine wins since 1989. Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao, world number 26, defeated eighth ranked Kodai Naraoka in the men's singles after world number four mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei cruised past Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi. Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki then breezed past Goh Jin Wei in the women's singles, before Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi levelled with a gruelling 12-21 22-20 23-21 win over Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the men's doubles, setting up the women's doubles decider. The day was straightforward for former champions Indonesia as they won four straight matches after dropping the initial mixed doubles tie, sealing a 4-1 win over Denmark to top Group D, having already qualified for the quarter-finals. 19-year-old Alwi Farhan stunned world number three Anders Antonsen 21-17 15-21 21-17 in the men's singles to level the score, before swift straight sets wins in the women's singles, men's and women's doubles powered the 1989 champions to a dominant victory. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Japan and Indonesia top their groups at Sudirman Cup
XIAMEN, China, May 1 (Reuters) - Japan's Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida beat Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-18 18-21 21-18 in the women's doubles to take Japan to the top of Group C with a 3-2 victory at the Sudirman Cup on Thursday. Both teams have already booked their spots in Friday's quarter-finals of the biennial mixed team competition after beating France and Australia earlier this week. Malaysia's two-decade wait for a Sudirman Cup win over Japan continues, having last beaten them in 2005, while Japan extended their dominance to nine wins since 1989. Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao, world number 26, defeated eighth ranked Kodai Naraoka in the men's singles after world number four mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei cruised past Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi. Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki then breezed past Goh Jin Wei in the women's singles, before Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi levelled with a gruelling 12-21 22-20 23-21 win over Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the men's doubles, setting up the women's doubles decider. The day was straightforward for former champions Indonesia as they won four straight matches after dropping the initial mixed doubles tie, sealing a 4-1 win over Denmark to top Group D, having already qualified for the quarter-finals. 19-year-old Alwi Farhan stunned world number three Anders Antonsen 21-17 15-21 21-17 in the men's singles to level the score, before swift straight sets wins in the women's singles, men's and women's doubles powered the 1989 champions to a dominant victory.
The Independent
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Japanese badminton star dubbed ‘most beautiful player' in China pleads with fans to ‘stop the stalking'
Japanese badminton player Chiharu Shida has issued a public plea to her Chinese fans, asking them to respect her privacy and stop stalking her. Their behaviour, she says, has left her 'very uncomfortable and very scared'. Dubbed the 'most beautiful player' in China, Shida, 27, is currently competing at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, a city in eastern China. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Shida complained that her harassment has persisted for over a year and a half. 'Thank you to everyone for your continued support, but I would like to request something from all my fans,' she wrote in Chinese. 'We have been stalked every time we compete in China, it has already been going on for a year and a half. Recently, we've been feeling very uncomfortable and very scared.' The athlete, who won a bronze medal in women's doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside partner Nami Matsuyama, did not specify who she meant by 'we'. The pair are currently ranked third in the world. 'I know it's not all fans that are like this, and I really like China and I'm thankful for all the support from fans. Starting now, please immediately stop the stalking and similar behaviour,' she added. 'If this type of situation continues, I will have to think of a way to handle it. Finally, please focus on us in the stadium, not on our private lives. Thanks again.' The Japanese player has developed a large following in China, where she is often referred to online as the 'Badminton Goddess', owing to her sporting success as well as her perceived personal charm. This is not the first time Ms Shida has raised concerns about harassment. In November 2023, she revealed she had been 'stalked and intimately touched' by fans during the China Masters tournament in Shenzhen, the South China Morning Post reported. At the time, she asked fans to 'keep their distance'. Her comments prompted a rare statement from the Chinese Olympic Committee condemning what it described as 'obsessive fan culture', warning that such behaviour was not only disruptive to competitions but also harmful to public order and sporting ethics. 'This kind of 'low-level fan' seems to act out of love for their idol,' the committee said. 'But they make irrational actions that endanger the normal order of the competition, public order and good customs, and endanger the spirit of sports and social morality.' The statement was issued in the wake of two separate incidents involving Chinese fans: one in which judges were verbally abused at a national diving competition after Olympian Quan Hongchan failed to win gold, and another involving Olympic table tennis star Fan Zhendong. Fan, a three-time Olympic champion, was stalked by a woman who reportedly entered his hotel room using a stolen key card. In December, he also had to appeal to fans for privacy after being swarmed in a hotel lobby. Earlier in September 2021, he had reprimanded fans after they swamped an airport to try and get a glimpse of him. The huddle of fans became so large that the Olympic silver medallist struggled to get to his connecting flight, leading to an angry outburst on microblogging site Weibo. 'Regarding today's chaotic situation at the Guangzhou airport, I think I must express my attitude,' he said. 'Aggressive crowds and physical contact not only bothered me but created inconveniences for the airport staff and other passengers.' China's internet regulators have intensified efforts to curb toxic fan behaviour in sports, removing over 1.6 million illegal posts and shutting down nearly 4,000 online accounts, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced last week, China Daily reported. The crackdown targets online harassment, doxxing and profiteering under the guise of fandom. In total, 76,000 accounts were penalised, with 3,767 permanently shut down. According to the agency, the main violations included three types of online behavior. First, "pack leaders" who led online abuse campaigns against rival athletes and coaches. Second, accounts that sensationalised athlete behaviour or spread rumours about fabricated romantic relationships to attract views. Third, impersonators who posed as athletes or coaches to run fake fan groups and profit off emotional manipulation. Amid growing concerns around athlete safety, British tennis star Emma Raducanu recently spoke about being left in tears during her second-round match at the Dubai Open, after spotting a stalker in the crowd. The man, who had previously approached her in public, has now been given a restraining order and banned from future WTA events. "couldn't see the ball through tears" and "could barely breathe'.
Japan Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Japanese badminton ace Shida blasts 'stalker' Chinese fans
Japanese badminton star Chiharu Shida has told Chinese fans to "stop stalking" her and said she was "very scared" by the unwanted attention. Shida, who won women's doubles bronze at the Paris Olympics last year, has a strong following in China partly because of her engagement with the local culture. The 27-year-old, currently competing at the Asia Championships in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo, has been dubbed "Badminton Goddess" by fans and media. She hit out at some supporters on Tuesday, accusing them in an Instagram post of taking their fandom too far. "Every time we compete in China we always experience the harm of stalkers," Shida wrote in Chinese. "It has already gone on for a year and a half, and recently I have felt very uncomfortable and very scared," she said. "From now on, please immediately stop stalking me ... but if the situation continues, I will think of a way to handle it." Shida added that "not all fans are like this" and thanked the majority for their support. She and doubles partner Nami Matsuyama are ranked third in the world and beat compatriots Mizuki Otake and Miyu Takahashi in Ningbo on Wednesday. China's government has tried to curb extreme fandom in recent years after sports stars and other celebrities experienced stalking and other abuse from particularly fervent followers. Beijing's cyber watchdog recently closed nearly 4,000 online accounts and scrubbed 1.6 million posts from the country's highly controlled Internet platforms to "create a good public opinion environment for athletes", state broadcaster CCTV reported this week.
