- Title: Hope fades for Japan's surf "godfather" as coronavirus brings empty Olympics
- Date: 20th July 2021
- Summary: PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE TABLE PHOTOGRAPH OF YOUNG ADEGAWA STANDING WITH SURFBOARD AT HIS SURF SHOP
- Embargoed: 3rd August 2021 04:11
- Keywords: Chiba Olympics Shidashita Teruo Ted Adegawa Tokyo 2020 surfing torch relay
- Location: ISUMI, ONJUKU, CHIBA PREFECTURE, JAPAN
- City: ISUMI, ONJUKU, CHIBA PREFECTURE, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA002EMN8E2V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Despite a debilitating stroke 15 years ago, Teruo Adegawa spent over a year slowly running up and down the length of his town's beach so he could take part in the Olympic relay along this stretch of coastline southeast of Tokyo - a beach he helped build into a surfing destination.
For Adegawa, renowned in Japan as one of the nation's surfing pioneers, this was the chance of a lifetime.
Instead, the relay was cancelled, and Adegawa attended a muted ceremony on a makeshift stage far from his town.
Born to an entrepreneurial family in Tokyo that designed and sold neckties for salarymen, Adegawa didn't learn to surf until the 1960s, in his early 20s.
Laying out dozens of old photographs on his living room coffee table, Adegawa recalled how he was introduced to surfing when travelling to California as a college junior.
"I remember that I went to the U.S. in 1963. In the U.S. when I saw people surfing, I couldn't help but think that maybe this could be a business opportunity to make surfboards, since no one makes or sells surfboards in Japan," said Adegawa.
In 1970, Adegawa moved to Isumi after he saw three American soldiers surfing what looked like perfect swells near a local fishing port. The beach at Taito was a shallow curve of black and heavy sand, but the waves came in steady, never breaking until they reached shore and disappeared into a murmur.
In the decades since, Adegawa has sponsored Japan's first surf team, organised its inaugural competition and introduced international surfers to the country's unique surf culture. Now he's known as one of the godfathers of modern Japanese surfing.
After running his surf company that produces surfboards and gear for two decades, Adegawa retired in 1990, handing over the Ted brand to his son Jun.
Ichinomiya, just down the road from Isumi, is about to host the 2020 Olympic Games' inaugural surfing competition. Adegawa said he felt "blessed" when he found out the Olympic surfing contest would be held so close to home.
Anticipating guests from all around the world, Adegawa and his wife, Yuriko, opened a tiny surf museum on Isumi's main road, decorating the walls with framed photos of surfers competing at nearby beaches.
The museum didn't attract many guests even before the pandemic. With all spectators banned for the surfing competition here, they're unlikely to see visitors anytime soon.
With just less a week to go until the opening ceremony, Japan is trudging toward an unprecedented Olympic Games, held under the shadow of a global pandemic.
Far from the Olympic ideal of bringing people together, the run-up to the Games has been marked by events hidden from public view. Now, Games organisers have announced that spectators would be banned from nearly all venues.
The Japanese public, the majority of whom have long opposed hosting the Games during a pandemic, now faces a truly surreal prospect: cheering for the world's largest sporting event from home while the largely unvaccinated country remains under virus restrictions that prohibit them from gathering, drinking or traveling.
Adegawa's town, Isumi, had remained somewhat detached from the Olympics because it's not formally hosting the surfing event. But now organisers are asking city officials to oversee coronavirus tests and other measures for athlete delegations that will be staying in Isumi during the contest.
Despite all the disappointment, Adegawa remained devoted to promoting the Olympics and surfing.
"I want to show kids that the Olympics is very different from ordinary sports events. Then they will understand (why people put so much effort in it)."
(Production: Akira Tomoshige, Irene Wang) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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