Taka Niwa and Hina Hayada are motivated to participate in the "T League"! At the Tokyo Olympic Games "Declaration of Acquisition" 【Press Conference Vol.2】
Table Tennis Professional League 'T Premier League (T - League)' pressed a press conference in Shibuya on February 7, announcing the ideals, logo mark, outline and participating team of the league respectively. Takaki Niwa who is currently ranked 6th in the men's world ranking as the guest in the second half, and Hina Hayada of the 14th ranking of the women's world rank appeared. Together with Mr. Koji Matsushita, executive director of the T - League, he played a mini talk show and talked about his feelings until the opening of the league and his future ambitions. This time we will deliver the talk pattern in full version.
Principal Sato
|
2018/02/09
<記者会見Vol.1はこちら>
- Mr. Matsushita Managing Director, is not it easy to talk with young athletes this way?
Matsushita: Not at all. On the other hand, I got nervous (laugh)
- Generally speaking, Mr. Matsushita 's Managing Director (Niwa player and Hayadada player) is about two generations apart from the other. I just asked Niwa a little while ago, but when I started playing table tennis I was talking about not seeing it as "Matsushita player".
Matsushita: Because it is different about 2 times (haha)
- That's right (laugh). So, I would like to talk about various things. First of all, first of all, thanks to you all for the All Japan Championship in January. Hayatada won the doubles and congratulations to the acquisition of the All Japan title.
Hayada:Thank you.
- Is it relaxing now that I feel relieved?
Hayada:House. I have ITTF team World Cup (London) since February 22, so now I am working on it for practice.
- You already practiced for the next one.
Hayada:Yes.
- And Niwa player thinks that it was a really turbulent year in 2017. After graduating from university, it was a wonderful year, including active at Asian championships and world championships. Looking back on your own, what kind of year was it?
Niwa: Last year I had a good record at the international convention and I think that I was very good as it was a year that I could update a lot of new records even in the world rankings.
- I see. Um, Mr. Matsushita Executive Director was born in 1967, is not it?
Matsushita:That's right. I am just fifty years old (laugh)
- That's right (laugh). So, Niwa was born in 1994, and Hayatada is 2000 years. It really is that this generation is amazing.
Matsushita:indeed. Also the current Japanese player is really strong. That's why Niwa is currently ranked 6th in the world, but it was 19th in February of last year. Given that, I'm impressed that I've had a great deal of strength in the past year. Even at Hayatada, rankings have been rising all the way to the present, and also won medals at the All Japan Championship doubles and world championships. I feel that really young athletes are doing their best. On the contrary, I want to know why the skill is so high (lol)
- That is because it was "Matsushita player" who showed us his active appearance as soon as the first in the world as a professional number one.
Matsushita: I do not know how it is, but since I am around a circuit (laugh). So I would like juniors to advance the way they can play straight as players.
- Do Niwa players refer to Matsushita senior player's era?
Matsushita: Perhaps, you probably did not do it at all (laugh)
- No, no (laugh). Niwa, how are you?
Niwa: Of course, thanks to Mr. Matsushita taking an active part in Professional No. 1, I guess we are able to act as a professional and under the generation as well. I also belonged to the team of Bundesliga in Germany for two years, but I really appreciate it because I think that Matsushita was first playing as a Japanese.
- Mr. Matsushita Managing Director frequently says "young athlete", but Niwa is now 23 years old. How do you think about age as a table tennis player?
Niwa: I think that I am in the middle position now in Japan. But I think that it is still young in Europe, so I have a desire to be even stronger so that I will not lose to the younger player over there.
- Hayatada is also young at the age of 17 and thinks that it is the first to be said to be the "next generation", but is there such consciousness?
Hayada: There is no such consciousness in particular. I think that I am physically the most practicable age, so I just have to work on practice and I want to participate in overseas matches and play an active part.
- While I was talking, I thought suddenly, but Haya is a left-handed person when playing on table tennis, right? Even so, the hand with the microphone is on your right. This was quite a strange thing.
Hayada: Actually I am right handed and I practiced on the first day when I started table tennis. I was told to Mr. Ishida, Ishida table tennis club in Fukuoka, where I was going around when I was little, "Try on the left," then changed to the left.
- Was that so? When I started playing table tennis, I would not have thought that a big league called T League would be born in Japan. Although the league's philosophy and logo were announced this time, what is the impression of seeing the logo first?
Photo: T League / Afro Sports
Hayada: I caught a rucket on my mind. So I think that we would like to raise the table tennis throughout the game so that people in general can think that 'This is the T - League of Table Tennis' when I saw the mark of this logo.
- Niwa, how about watching this logo? Niwa player ... Because it is splendidly splendid (laugh)
Niwa: Yes (haha). It is cool ~ I think.
- Mr. Matsushita Managing Director! Though it was "cool".
Matsushita: Well ~ I appreciate it (lol)
Even at this logo mark is really important, is not it?
Matsushita:I agree. As I said earlier by Hayatada. I think it is very good to know that it is table tennis even if it looks good. Although I am doing self-praising as well as me (lol)
And, along with that logo there was a story about the team's announcement and an overview of the league. As a player, what kind of team are you going to enter? What kind of expectations do Niwa players have for the T League, though their details are not yet decided?
Niwa: I have not had the opportunity to compete with the world's top players domestically so I am looking forward to it.
- As Matsushita Managing Director, Niwa Player says, the T League is said to be "a league where strong and domestic players gathered"?
Matsushita:I agree. Because we aim for the world's league. I think that I would like to collect top players so that they can meet Niwa's expectations.
(Here, the message VTR from Tomokazu Tsumamoto who was unable to participate in a press conference was dropped)
Kimoto: The beginning of the T League is also very happy for our generation. If I can join myself, of course I would like to play. It would be great if Japanese table tennis got more excited, having T - League know about the fun of table tennis.
I mean that. Mr. Zhang Yim, thank you. There was also a story saying "for our generation as well", but I think that Hayato is also close to Zhang Yimen. Even from the generation of Hayatada, there is a similar feeling for the T League.
Hayada:I agree. After all I think that I want to watch a lot of people in the T League and want to know the fun of table tennis.
- I see. Although I received the word of expectation from young players like this, I would like to ask Matsushita Managing Director, T - League again in this way.
Matsushita:Yes. I would like the T League to start improving the competitiveness, and people who are playing table tennis get healthy. Also, it is not the year after next year, but I want to make it a more proud league when a 14-year-old player like Zhang Yun is 24 years old again. I think that I would like to continue working with table tennis officials, and also with the help from the surroundings. Also, I want a strong player like Niwa player to become a director somewhere. He is a team in Hokkaido, so anyone there would like to have an organization that can participate in the T League and want him to become a director. It is my selfish delusion (laugh)
- Niwa player, how did you get such a story from Mr. Matsushita Managing Director?
Niwa: I think that the player's lifetime will definitely grow by being able to do with the T League so I would like to continue active service for another ten years. It would be best if you could coach after that.
- I see. In the life of such a table tennis, Hayataka seems to see the different stage and another goal that this T League can do in the past.
Hayada: In terms of a different stage, as the T-League is held in Japan, the form of foreign players playing in Japan increases, so I feel that holding in Japan is very special I will.
- Although there was a word hosted in Japan, the T - League began in 2018 and the Tokyo Olympics will await in 2020. Looking over there, finally please tell us your future resolutions and enthusiasm.
Hayada:Yes. I would like to aim for the Tokyo Olympics by participating in this T - League and putting even more abilities. And I would like to do my best to be able to win gold medals in groups and individuals.
Niwa: Since it was a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, I also want to work hard in the T League and next I want to work hard for the gold medal.
▼ General Foundation T-League
http://tleague.jp/index2.html
- Mr. Matsushita Managing Director, is not it easy to talk with young athletes this way?
Matsushita: Not at all. On the other hand, I got nervous (laugh)
- Generally speaking, Mr. Matsushita 's Managing Director (Niwa player and Hayadada player) is about two generations apart from the other. I just asked Niwa a little while ago, but when I started playing table tennis I was talking about not seeing it as "Matsushita player".
Matsushita: Because it is different about 2 times (haha)
- That's right (laugh). So, I would like to talk about various things. First of all, first of all, thanks to you all for the All Japan Championship in January. Hayatada won the doubles and congratulations to the acquisition of the All Japan title.
Hayada:Thank you.
- Is it relaxing now that I feel relieved?
Hayada:House. I have ITTF team World Cup (London) since February 22, so now I am working on it for practice.
- You already practiced for the next one.
Hayada:Yes.
- And Niwa player thinks that it was a really turbulent year in 2017. After graduating from university, it was a wonderful year, including active at Asian championships and world championships. Looking back on your own, what kind of year was it?
Niwa: Last year I had a good record at the international convention and I think that I was very good as it was a year that I could update a lot of new records even in the world rankings.
- I see. Um, Mr. Matsushita Executive Director was born in 1967, is not it?
Matsushita:That's right. I am just fifty years old (laugh)
- That's right (laugh). So, Niwa was born in 1994, and Hayatada is 2000 years. It really is that this generation is amazing.
Matsushita:indeed. Also the current Japanese player is really strong. That's why Niwa is currently ranked 6th in the world, but it was 19th in February of last year. Given that, I'm impressed that I've had a great deal of strength in the past year. Even at Hayatada, rankings have been rising all the way to the present, and also won medals at the All Japan Championship doubles and world championships. I feel that really young athletes are doing their best. On the contrary, I want to know why the skill is so high (lol)
- That is because it was "Matsushita player" who showed us his active appearance as soon as the first in the world as a professional number one.
Matsushita: I do not know how it is, but since I am around a circuit (laugh). So I would like juniors to advance the way they can play straight as players.
- Do Niwa players refer to Matsushita senior player's era?
Matsushita: Perhaps, you probably did not do it at all (laugh)
- No, no (laugh). Niwa, how are you?
Niwa: Of course, thanks to Mr. Matsushita taking an active part in Professional No. 1, I guess we are able to act as a professional and under the generation as well. I also belonged to the team of Bundesliga in Germany for two years, but I really appreciate it because I think that Matsushita was first playing as a Japanese.
- Mr. Matsushita Managing Director frequently says "young athlete", but Niwa is now 23 years old. How do you think about age as a table tennis player?
Niwa: I think that I am in the middle position now in Japan. But I think that it is still young in Europe, so I have a desire to be even stronger so that I will not lose to the younger player over there.
- Hayatada is also young at the age of 17 and thinks that it is the first to be said to be the "next generation", but is there such consciousness?
Hayada: There is no such consciousness in particular. I think that I am physically the most practicable age, so I just have to work on practice and I want to participate in overseas matches and play an active part.
Hayada: Actually I am right handed and I practiced on the first day when I started table tennis. I was told to Mr. Ishida, Ishida table tennis club in Fukuoka, where I was going around when I was little, "Try on the left," then changed to the left.
- Was that so? When I started playing table tennis, I would not have thought that a big league called T League would be born in Japan. Although the league's philosophy and logo were announced this time, what is the impression of seeing the logo first?
Photo: T League / Afro Sports
Hayada: I caught a rucket on my mind. So I think that we would like to raise the table tennis throughout the game so that people in general can think that 'This is the T - League of Table Tennis' when I saw the mark of this logo.
- Niwa, how about watching this logo? Niwa player ... Because it is splendidly splendid (laugh)
Niwa: Yes (haha). It is cool ~ I think.
- Mr. Matsushita Managing Director! Though it was "cool".
Matsushita: Well ~ I appreciate it (lol)
Even at this logo mark is really important, is not it?
Matsushita:I agree. As I said earlier by Hayatada. I think it is very good to know that it is table tennis even if it looks good. Although I am doing self-praising as well as me (lol)
And, along with that logo there was a story about the team's announcement and an overview of the league. As a player, what kind of team are you going to enter? What kind of expectations do Niwa players have for the T League, though their details are not yet decided?
Niwa: I have not had the opportunity to compete with the world's top players domestically so I am looking forward to it.
- As Matsushita Managing Director, Niwa Player says, the T League is said to be "a league where strong and domestic players gathered"?
Matsushita:I agree. Because we aim for the world's league. I think that I would like to collect top players so that they can meet Niwa's expectations.
(Here, the message VTR from Tomokazu Tsumamoto who was unable to participate in a press conference was dropped)
Kimoto: The beginning of the T League is also very happy for our generation. If I can join myself, of course I would like to play. It would be great if Japanese table tennis got more excited, having T - League know about the fun of table tennis.
I mean that. Mr. Zhang Yim, thank you. There was also a story saying "for our generation as well", but I think that Hayato is also close to Zhang Yimen. Even from the generation of Hayatada, there is a similar feeling for the T League.
Hayada:I agree. After all I think that I want to watch a lot of people in the T League and want to know the fun of table tennis.
- I see. Although I received the word of expectation from young players like this, I would like to ask Matsushita Managing Director, T - League again in this way.
Matsushita:Yes. I would like the T League to start improving the competitiveness, and people who are playing table tennis get healthy. Also, it is not the year after next year, but I want to make it a more proud league when a 14-year-old player like Zhang Yun is 24 years old again. I think that I would like to continue working with table tennis officials, and also with the help from the surroundings. Also, I want a strong player like Niwa player to become a director somewhere. He is a team in Hokkaido, so anyone there would like to have an organization that can participate in the T League and want him to become a director. It is my selfish delusion (laugh)
- Niwa player, how did you get such a story from Mr. Matsushita Managing Director?
Niwa: I think that the player's lifetime will definitely grow by being able to do with the T League so I would like to continue active service for another ten years. It would be best if you could coach after that.
- I see. In the life of such a table tennis, Hayataka seems to see the different stage and another goal that this T League can do in the past.
Hayada: In terms of a different stage, as the T-League is held in Japan, the form of foreign players playing in Japan increases, so I feel that holding in Japan is very special I will.
- Although there was a word hosted in Japan, the T - League began in 2018 and the Tokyo Olympics will await in 2020. Looking over there, finally please tell us your future resolutions and enthusiasm.
Hayada:Yes. I would like to aim for the Tokyo Olympics by participating in this T - League and putting even more abilities. And I would like to do my best to be able to win gold medals in groups and individuals.
Niwa: Since it was a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, I also want to work hard in the T League and next I want to work hard for the gold medal.
▼ General Foundation T-League
http://tleague.jp/index2.html
