SLOVENIA: SKI JUMPING - Japan ski jumpers express their sadness about the devastation caused by the earthquake back home

Record ID: 465495

  • Title: SLOVENIA: SKI JUMPING - Japan ski jumpers express their sadness about the devastation caused by the earthquake back home
  • Date: 17th March 2011
  • Summary: KRANJSKA GORA, SLOVENIA (MARCH 16, 2011) (REUTERS) SCENIC OF MOUNTAIN / KRANJSKA GORA BANNER READING 'PLANICA 2011, 17TH - 20TH MARCH' JAPANESE SKI JUMPING TEAM PLAYING INDOOR VOLLEYBALL AS PART OF TRAINING SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) CHIEF TRAINER OF JAPANESE SKI JUMPING TEAM TOMOHARU YOKOKAWA SAYING: "I heard on March 11th about the news about Tohoku and Kanto earthquake and the tsunami that followed . It ran as top news here (in Europe) so it was really shocking. I have heard that there are many people who have died due to tsunami, and many missing. I pray for the soul of all those that have passed away." VOLLEYBALL GAME IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE SKI JUMPER NORISAKI KASAI SAYING: "I hope that we find as many missing people as possible...and it must be tough for those people living in the evacuation centres so I will try to do my best in what ever way I can help." JAPANESE SKI JUMPERS PLAYING VOLLEYBALL (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE SKI JUMPER DAIKI ITO SAYING: "I was really sad about the news when I heard it. This is really a big tragedy. So many people are missing and all of it is really a tragic catastrophe." VOLLEYBALL GAME IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE SKI JUMPER NORISAKI KASAI SAYING: "I think it will still take a long time to rebuild, but I hope that they will gain strength and overcome this. We hope that we can compete well enough and good enough to get good results and encourage the affected people." 11 JAPANESE SKI JUMPERS PLAYING VOLLEYBALL (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) CHIEF TRAINER OF JAPANESE SKI JUMPING TEAM TOMOHARU YOKOKAWA SAYING: "Since we are at the World Cup here in Europe, we cannot do much from here. But I believe that we (as the national ski jumping team) we will try our very best to give our best performance for Japan in hope that it will give courage and more strength to the affected people." VARIOUS OF JAPANESE SKI JUMPING TEAM PRACTISING, PLAYING VOLLEYBALL
  • Embargoed: 1st April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Slovenia
  • Country: Slovenia
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVABWQQ4YC4L44055BHNCADWJ31
  • Story Text: Japan's national ski jumping team on Wednesday (March 16) expressed its shock and sadness at the devastion caused by the earthquake and tsunami back home and vowed to lift the nation's spirits with strong peformances this weekend.
    The team is in Slovenia preparing for this weekend's World Cup event in Planica but they told Reuters Television their thoughts were with those affected.
    "I heard on March 11th about the news about Tohoku and Kanto earthquake and the tsunami that followed . It ran as top news here (in Europe) so it was really shocking," the team's chief trainer Tomoharu Yokohawa said as the team played volleyball as part of its preparations for the weekend's competition.
    "I have heard that there are many people who have died due to tsunami, and many missing. I pray for the soul of all those that have passed away."
    "I hope that we find as many missing people as possible and it must be tough for those people living in the evacuation centres so I will try to do my best in what ever way I can help," said ski jumper, Norisaki Kasai.
    His team mate Daiki Ito added: "I was really sad about the news when I have heard it. This is really a big tragedy. So many people are missing and all of it is really a tragic catastrophe."
    It has been reported some 450,000 people have been made homeless by the disaster and Kasai hoped the team's performances this weekend would help raise the spirits of their compatriots back home.
    "I think it will still take a long time to rebuild, but I hope that they will gain strength and overcome this. We hope that we can compete well enough and good enough to get good results and encourage the affected people," he said.
    Yokohama added he would do his best to get the team in shape to produce top performances.
    "Since we are at the World Cup here in Europe, we cannot do much from here," he said.
    "But I believe that we (as the national ski jumping team) we will try our very best to give our best performance for Japan in hope that it will give courage and more strength to the affected people."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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