To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
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By William May
iJapan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public Information Committee
Fwmay52@hotmail.comj


September wrestling news

KANEKO, URANO PRESENTED HALL OF FAME AWARDS IN BAKU


BAKU (September 21) - FILA presented awards to this yearfs group of inductees to the international wrestling Hall of Fame at the world championships meet. Among this yearfs inductees are Japanese wrestlers 1968 Olympic gold medalist Masaaki Kaneko and Yayoi Urano-Odagaki, a six-time world champion and pioneer in womenfs wrestling.
Kaneko, who also won a pair of world titles, said after the ceremony in Baku gIn a word, Ifm happy to be recognized for my wrestling. This is not something you receive everyday.h

After retiring from wrestling, Kaneko served as the chairman of the Japan Wrestling Federationfs public relations committee and as head coach at Senshu University in Tokyo. gI still hope that even now I can do something to contribute to wrestling,h he said.

Urano, meanwhile, switched from judo as a student at the Nippon Physical Education College (now Nippon Sports Science University) in the late 1980s and went on to win six world titles and a silver medal in the early days of female wrestling. Uranofs six gold medals and one silver currently ranks her second behind Canadafs Christine Nordhagen (6-1-1) in world championship performances.

gI continued wrestling before womenfs wrestling was an Olympic event, always believing that it would become part of the Olympics,h said Urano. gI didnft get the chance to wrestle in the Olympics, but to be honored in such a way as today confirms that it wasnft a mistake to have wrestled all these years.h she added tearfully.

gI think that many other wrestlers will receive this honor in the future, but Ifm proud to receive this award as a representative of all of the wrestlers of my generation,h said who now lives in Canada with her husband, Ron Odagaki, and their two children.


WORLD CfSHIPS BROADCAST REACH 8.4% ON FINAL DAY


TOKYO (September 26) - Nihon Televisionfs broadcast of the final day of the world wrestling championships in Japan reached 8.4%, comparing favorably to the airing of a Yomiuri Giants baseball game hours earlier. NTV aired the world championships in Baku from early Saturday morning, September 22, with viewership reaching its peak of 8.4% on Sunday during the 22:30-23:56 time slot.

While viewership did not reach double digits, the audience for the world championships compared favorably with the 8.7% scored by the Giants baseball game in the prime time hours 19:00-21:00.

Since Japan was also in the midst of a three-day weekend, the late night slot from 22:30 on Sunday is generally considered a difficult time to score large viewership ratings.

During its other broadcasts, NTV scored 3.0% early Saturday morning (0:50-1:50 a.m.), 4.9% Saturday afternoon (15:00-16:00 p.m.) and 5.0% late Saturday night (23:55-24:55).


WOMENfS WORLD CUP APPEARS HEADED TO BEIJING


TOKYO (September 29) - The 2008 World Cup of womenfs wrestling appears headed to Beijing, according to information posted on FILAfs official website. FILA listed Beijing, host of next yearfs Olympic Games, as the lone candidate to stage the womenfs World Cup on January 18-19.

Japan, which lost to China in last yearfs World Cup final, has not decided on its team members or on other details for the event.


NSSU WINS 1ST COLLEGIATE DUALS CROWN IN 5 YEARS


TOKYO (September 21) - Nippon Sports Science University handed Waseda a 6-1 loss in the final at Komazawa Gymnasium to claim its first collegiate duals title in five years. The title was also NSSUfs 24th overall in the dual meet championships and follows its triumph in the East Japan collegiate championships in May. Third place went to last yearfs champion Takushoku University, which defeated Kokushikan 5-2.

In the semifinals, NSSU stopped Takushoku 5-2 and Waseda thumped Kokushikan 6-1. Kokushikan was the surprise of the tournament as it defeated East Japan runner-up Nihon University 4-3 in the quarterfinals on an upset win by freshman Hiroyuki Oda over 2006 world bronze medalist Noriyuki Takatsuka.

Naoki Tomioka of NSSU (55 kg) was named the outstanding wrestler of the competition while Wasedafs Seiya Matsumoto was given the fighting spirit award.


TOKYO TO HOST WOMENfS 2008 WORLD CfSHIPS IN OCTOBER


TOKYO (September 11) - The Japan Wrestling Federation announced that it will stage the 2008 womenfs wrestling world championships October 11-13 in Tokyo. The meet was originally intended to determine the world champions in female wrestlingfs three non-Olympic weight categories, but was expanded to all seven categories in a decision by the FILA board of directors in June.

gWe didnft think it was fair that there was no chance to decide the worldfs No. 1 for the three non-Olympic weights,h said Tomiaki Fukuda, who serves as JWF president and as a FILA vice president. gHaving said that, holding a competition for only three categories would lack the feel of a world championships, so we will hold the meet for all seven catgories,h Fukuda added.

It will be the fifth world championships to be held in Japan after 1954 (FS), 1961 (FS, GR), 1990 (FS) and 1991 (women). The meet will be held in the 8,000-seat Yoyogi Gymnasium. Traditionally, the wrestling world championships for men have not been held during an Olympic year. The womenfs world meet was also not held in 2004 when female wrestling made its Olympic debut in Athens.


KITAURA WINS IN BEACH EVENT AT WORLD WRESTLING GAMES


ANTALYA, Turkey (September 7-9) - Noriyuki Kitaura, formerly of Tenri University, won the lightweight (under 84 kg) event in beach wrestling at the World Wrestling Games. Kitaura opened with a pair of wins over American entries and then defeated Pakistanfs Majeed Usman in the 84-kg final. Japanfs second entry, Norihiko Kitaura, went out in the second round.

The two entries also competed in the sambo competition on the opening day of the games with Norihiko Kitaura taking a third place at 74 kg while Noriyuki Kitaura took fifth at 84 kg.


WINNERS AT WEST JAPAN COLLEGIATE OPEN


OSAKA (September 21-23) - Winners at the West Japan Collegiate Open Wrestling Championships at Kanaoka Park Gymnasium in Sakai, Osaka:

Greco-roman
55 kg - Takahiro Kato, Chukyo Gakuin
60 kg - Masashi Kimura, Tokuyama
66 kg - Hiroki Matsumoto, Tokuyama
74 kg - Shinji Fujinaga, Tokuyama
84 kg - Kengo Kamei, Nihon Bunri
96 kg - Yosuke Kano, Momoyama Gakuin
120 kg - Tsutomu Takabayashi, Nihon Bunri

Freestyle
55 kg - Musashi Nagao, Kinki
60 kg - Atsushi Irie, Doshisha
66 kg - Akihiro Fujinaga, Tokuyama
74 kg - Yuki Fujinaga, Tokuyama
84 kg - Kei Koga, Ritsumeikan
96 kg - Shinji Azuma, Ritsumeikan
120 kg - Tsutomu Takabayashi, Nihon Bunri