The Japanese Olympic Committee officially announced Thursday the names of 241 athletes who will participate in 16 sports at the Tokyo Olympics, including swimmer Rikako Ikee and judoka Shohei Ono.
Including managers and coaches, the Japanese national team for the 16 sports will have 461 members. There will be a total of 33 sports at the Tokyo Olympics, in which about 600 Japanese athletes are expected to participate. The remaining spots will be filled through qualification trials and other procedures.
For swimming, 33 athletes, including 20-year-old Ikee of Renaissance Inc., who earned her ticket after recovering from leukemia, were qualified for the team.
In judo, 29-year-old Ono of Asahi Kasei Corp., who won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, will aim for his second straight victory in the men's 73-kilogram division. Judo has seven divisions for men and seven for women, with medals for Japan expected in all 14.
In karate, which is being included as an Olympic sport for the first time, Ryo Kiyuna, 30, of Ryuei-ryu Ryuho-kai, is seen as the most promising candidate for gold in the men's kata division.
Softball, last seen at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will make its return as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games. Japan's softball team, including 38-year-old ace pitcher Yukiko Ueno of BicCamera Takasaki, will aim for gold, 13 years after their victory in Beijing.
The selection process for the national team captain, vice captain and two flag bearers will soon start in earnest. One man and one women will be flag bearers. As this is the first time for there to be both a captain and a vice caption for the Summer Games, it is likely that those roles will be filled by one man and one woman as well, in consideration of gender balance.
The athletes will participate in an online team kickoff ceremony on July 6, as they continue preparing for the start of the Games on July 23.
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