News - 2019

Tokyo (August 8, 2019)--Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced that it will hold the Bridgestone x Olympic x Paralympic a GO GO! event at Genki Field Sendai in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture in Japan on August 24, 2019. This event is designed to bring the excitement of the Olympic Movement and Paralympic Movement to communities across the country in celebration of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Since 2016, Bridgestone has hosted 10 Bridgestone x Olympic x Paralympic a GO GO! events throughout Japan*1 to help local communities celebrate sport, bring the excitement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to life, and to help resolve social issues by promoting the benefits of sport and active healthy lifestyles. To date, approximately 20,000 individuals have attended these events. The Tohoku region where Sendai City is located was chosen by Bridgestone as the site of the 11th event as a way to express the company's support for reconstruction efforts after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which is also an important cause for organizers of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Many Japanese athletes have been invited to the August 24 event in Sendai, including Team Bridgestone Japan athlete ambassadors Ai Miyazato (golf), Kosuke Hagino (swimming), and Manami Tanaka (wheelchair tennis), among others. Each athlete will share the fun of playing sports and the excitement of the Olympics and Paralympic Games with attendees. The athletes also will host lessons with tips on how to reach the highest pinnacle in their sports, participate in friendly competitions with attendees, and lead other hands-on sports experiences during the event.

Timed to coincide with - and celebrate - One Year to go to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the event also will introduce attendees to various Paralympic sports such as wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, boccia, football 5-a-side, and archery through several demonstrations. It will also feature activities that offer the opportunity to learn more about how sports prosthetics are designed to help Para athletes perform their best.

As the only Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner with its global headquarters in Tokyo, Bridgestone is proud to work with its fellow stakeholders, including the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG), the Japanese Olympic and Paralympic Committees and more to help bring the excitement of Tokyo 2020 to life through its Bridgestone x Olympic x Paralympic a GO GO! events.

About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.

About Bridgestone Corporation's Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partnerships:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest tire and rubber company and operates with a mission of "Serving Society with Superior Quality." Bridgestone proudly became a Worldwide Olympic Partner in 2014 and a Worldwide Paralympic Partner in 2018. The company has global rights to the Olympic Movement and Paralympic Movement through to 2024, a period that includes the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024. Bridgestone is dedicated to delivering products, services and solutions that improve the way people move, live, work and play, and its commitment to the Olympic Movement and Paralympic Movement continues a history of sport and innovation dating back more than 100 years. Bridgestone activities related to its Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partnerships are guided by a global "Chase Your Dream" message, which intends to inspire people to overcome obstacles and persevere in pursuit of their goals. As a worldwide partner, Bridgestone has marketing rights that include its full range of tyres, tyre services and selected automotive vehicle services, self-propelled bicycles, seismic isolation bearings, and a variety of building and industrial products.

About Team Bridgestone:
All Bridgestone activities related to its Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partnerships are designed to empower people of all abilities to persevere through adversity and "Chase Your Dream." In support of these efforts, the company is partnering with over 50 inspiring Olympic and Paralympic Games athletes and hopefuls across more than 15 countries to serve as brand ambassadors on the Road to Tokyo 2020.

Attending Olympians, Paralympians, and Other Athletes

Atsushi Yamamoto (Athletics)	Kosuke Hagino (Swimming) Bridgestone Athlete Ambassador	Naito Ehara (Swimming)
Silver medal in Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games 5th place in London 2012 Paralympic Games Bronze and silver medals in Rio 2016 Paralympic Games Participation in PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympic Games	Bronze medal in Olympic Games London 2012 Bronze, silver, and gold medals in Olympic Games Rio 2016	Bronze medal in Olympic Games Rio 2016

Hisashi Kato (Football)	Homare Sawa (Football)	Tomoyuki Hirase (Football)
Participation in preliminary competitions for Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984 Participation in Olympic Games Seoul 1988 Former special reform support Japan Football Association coach	Participation in Olympic Games Atlanta 1996 7th place in Olympic Games Athens 2004 4th place in Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Silver medal in Olympic Games London 2012	6th place in Olympic Games Sydney 2000

Manami Tanaka (Wheelchair tennis) Bridgestone Athlete Ambassador	Shingo Fuji (Wheelchair basketball)	So Hori (Sport climbing)
Japanese representative in 2016 Wheelchair Tennis Masters Leading athlete aspiring to participate in Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games	Participation in Athens 2004 Paralympic Games Participation in Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Participation in London 2012 Paralympic Games	1st place in the Canada competition of the 2011 IFSC Climbing World Cup

Ai Miyazato (Golf) Bridgestone Athlete Ambassador

First Japanese athlete to be ranked No. 1 in Women's World Golf Rankings