2nd NAGASE Cup to Be Held at Japan National Stadium 'An Inclusive Competition Anyone Can Join' an Athletics Competition Crossing Boundaries, with Both Para and Non-Para Athletes Competing
March 30, 2023 at 11:07 am EDT
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NAGASE & CO., LTD. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Kenji Asakura) will sponsor the 2nd WPA Approved NAGASE Cup Para Athletics Competition (the NAGASE Cup) to be held at the Japan National Stadium (Shinjuku, Tokyo) on Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3, 2023.
This competition is held by Japan Para Athletics (JPA) and specially sponsored by NAGASE & CO., and this will be the second time it has been held.
The NAGASE Cup is an inclusive competition consisting of a Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) approved category and a JPA approved category. In addition to athletes who have competed in international competitions, it will also be open to junior high school or older athletes who are registered with the JAAF, regardless of whether or not they have disabilities. In the first NAGASE Cup held in July 2022, a total of 293 athletes competed, consisting of 137 para athletes, including those with mental disabilities, and 156 non-para athletes, and 15 records were made at the competition, including world records.
For this second NAGASE Cup, with the intent of holding it in various cities so more athletes and spectators have a chance to participate, the venue has been changed to the Japan National Stadium. With a larger lineup of events and programs, we are also aiming to make it into 'an inclusive competition anyone can join.'
In 2018, the NAGASE Group hired blind marathon runner Shinya Wada as an employee, and since then the Group has felt the impact the power of sports and athletes can have on its employees and society.
President Kenji Asakura commented, 'With the first NAGASE Cup, held last year, I once again felt that the passion of athletes striving to break a record and the excitement of serious competition was something that all sports shared, regardless of whether the athletes competing have disabilities or not. As the NAGASE Cup continues into the future, I hope it will become a place that provides athletes, spectators, and volunteers with opportunities to encounter new experiences and new values.'
The JPA has been working to build a foundation for holding more WPA approved competitions in Japan. JPA Chair Akemi Masuda stated, 'At the first NAGASE Cup, not only people with and without disabilities, but also volunteers and spectators all enjoyed athletics without any barriers between them, which I felt breathed new life into the world of athletics. I hope that this competition will lead to further improvement for the athletes, as well as help spread inclusivity from the field of competition to the local community, and then to society as a whole.'
Nagase & Co Ltd is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the import, export, manufacture and sale of a wide range of products. The Company operates through five business segments. Functional Materials segment offers raw materials for paints, inks, adhesives, and other products. Processed Materials segment offers dyes, pigments, functional pigments, resins, automotive repair and conductive paints and others. Electronics and Energy segment offers modified epoxy resins, fluorine products, and materials and equipment for semiconductor, display, as well as energy management system proposals, battery evaluation and healthcare services. Mobility segment offers general synthetic resins, and other materials and parts for automobile. Life-related segment offers raw materials for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, food additive, cosmetic additives, and radiation measurement service. The Company also offers logistics services, information processing and other professional services.
2nd NAGASE Cup to Be Held at Japan National Stadium 'An Inclusive Competition Anyone Can Join' an Athletics Competition Crossing Boundaries, with Both Para and Non-Para Athletes Competing
NAGASE & CO., LTD. 
