Figure skater Kaori Sakamoto (left) and others wave to the crowd at a send-off ceremony for Team Japan before the Milan Cortina Olympics on January 18, 2026, in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. (©KYODO)
Serving as Japan's acting flagbearer at a public event on Sunday, January 18, figure skater Kaori Sakamoto said the experience bolstered her desire to have a successful showing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
Sakamoto filled in as the flagbearer for a Team Japan send-off party in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, while speed skater Wataru Morishige participated in an overseas competition.
Morishige will share flagbearer duties with female snowboarder Sena Tomita during the opening ceremony on February 6 in Italy.
Preparing for her third and final Winter Olympics, Sakamoto reflected on holding the national flag after the ceremony in Funabashi, which was attended by approximately 6,000 spectators.
"The team flag is heavy and substantial, strengthening my resolve to do my best," Sakamoto said, according to The Sankei Shimbun. "I will turn this pressure into strength and deliver the best performance possible."
In 2022, Sakamoto earned the bronze medal in women's singles at the Beijing Games. She has announced that she'll retire at the end of the current skating season.
Enthusiastic cheers greeted Sakamoto and other members of Japan's Olympic delegation (69 athletes and officials in total) on Sunday. In addition to the event's pep squad characteristics, it also gave Team Japan's athletes the opportunity to familiarize themselves with walking and standing together and other procedural steps before repeating the process in Italy.
For Sakamoto, the festivities provided an inspirational backdrop to spell out one of her goals for the upcoming Olympics.
"I pledge to approach the [Winter] Games with the aim of delivering the energetic and spirited presence and smiles of the Japanese athletes," Sakamoto, 25, told the crowd, The Sankei Shimbun reported.
Having Fun at the Olympics
Although preparations for the Olympics involve grueling physical workouts, the opportunity to represent Japan on the global stage is a big deal, athletes repeatedly say. And, as this reporter has witnessed, athletes' Olympic experiences are memorable ― and having fun is a part of it.
For Team Japan, there's an available digital platform to share messages, including words of encouragement, before and during the Olympics.
Sakamoto intends to use the platform in a positive way.
"I'm known as the 'comedy character,' but I want to use the platform to post cheerful, upbeat, and light-hearted comments to unite Team Japan and lift everyone's spirits," she was quoted as saying by The Sankei Shimbun.
Japanese Olympic Committee President Seiko Hashimoto, Crown Prince Akishino and his wife were among the dignitaries who attended the send-off party.
RELATED:
Snowboarder Hirano Crashes in Olympic Tuneup
Ayumu Hirano, the 2022 Olympic men's snowboarding halfpipe gold medalist, cut his mouth and sustained other facial injuries during competition in Laax, Switzerland, at the FIS Snowboard World Cup meet on January 17.
Although the injuries caused pain to his right knee and left groin, Kyodo News reported, the 27-year-old plans to resume training for the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The 2022 Olympic men's snowboard halfpipe gold medalist was injured during his first run in Laax.
"He slammed into the pipe so hard, his board broke," The Associated Press reported.
Hirano, 27, was recently named to Japan's Olympic snowboarding squad. In addition to winning the gold four years ago, he was the Olympic silver medalist in the halfpipe in 2014 and 2018.
Horse Racing
Japan Cup Shares Title for World's Best Horse Race
At the 2025 Longines World Racing Awards, the Japan Cup and England's Qipco Champions Stakes were named co-winners of the Longines World's Best Horse Race.
The Japan Cup claimed the prize for the first time following the 2023 racing season.
For 2025's awards, the Champions Stakes and the Japan Cup both had the top rating (126.25) among the nominated races.
"The Longines World's Best Horse Race Award recognizes the best-rated race of the highest-rated Group/Grade 1 international races as established by a panel of international handicappers," the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities stated in a news release. "[And] the ratings of the top four finishers in each race serve as [the] basis for the assessment. Calandagan, the world's highest rated horse, won both contests, and it is the first time there has been a tie in this category."
An awards ceremony in London was held on Tuesday, January 20.
RELATED:
Boxing
Inoue Among Finalists for The Ring's Trainer of the Year
Shingo Inoue, father of the undisputed super bantamweight world champion, is one of five finalists for The Ring's Trainer of the Year.
Other 2025 finalists were recently announced: Manny Robles, Robert Garcia, Roberto Hernandez, and Brian "BoMac" MacIntyre.
In addition, Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 knockouts), winner of four super bantamweight title fights in 2025, is a finalist for the prestigious magazine's Male Fighter of the Year.
WBO women's super flyweight champion Mizuki Hiruta (10-0, two KOs), who made four successful title defenses last year, is one of five candidates for the Female Fighter of the Year.
A complete rundown of nominees for the various awards is posted on the magazine's website.
The second annual Ring Awards gala will be held on January 30 in New York.
RELATED:
Tennis
Injured Osaka Withdraws From Australian Open
Naomi Osaka's quest to win her third Australian Open came to an end on Saturday, January 24.
Before her scheduled third-round match against Maddison Inglis of Australia, 17th-ranked Osaka withdrew from the first Grand Slam tournament of 2026 with a left abdominal injury.
"It's an injury I've had a couple of times before, and I thought I could push through it," Osaka told reporters in Melbourne, Australia. "I played my last match with some pain, and I thought maybe if I gave myself a break before my match today, I would be able to handle it, but I warmed up, and it got a lot worse."
In a social media post, Osaka elaborated on her decision to exit the tournament.
"I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart," Osaka wrote on Instagram, "but I can't risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court."
Basketball
EASL Update: Tokyo, Ryukyu and Utsunomiya Post Midweek Victories
The B.League's Alvark Tokyo and Ryukyu Golden Kings have secured berths in the 2025-26 East Asia Super League playoffs in March.
Both clubs picked up a win on the road on Wednesday, January 21.
In Group C, Tokyo defeated the Changwon LG Sakers 88-81 in Changwon, South Korea. Marcus Foster led the Alvark (3-1) with 27 points and Kai Toews scored 19, draining 5 of 7 3-point attempts.
In Group B, visiting Ryukyu triumphed 102-79 against the winless Macau Black Bears. Big men Jack Cooley and Alex Kirk had 25 points apiece to power the Golden Kings (3-1).
In Group A, the reigning B.League champion Utsunomiya Brex kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the EASL playoffs with an 83-74 road win over Hong Kong Eastern on January 21. Utsunomiya improved to 2-2. DJ Newbill, the B.League season MVP in 2023-24 and 2024-25, spearheaded his team's winning effort in Hong Kong, finishing with 23 points and 10 assists.
The top-two finishers in each of the three EASL groups advance to the playoffs.
Upcoming EASL Matches
Ryukyu plays host to Taiwan's Taoyuan Pauian Pilots (4-1) on February 4 in Okinawa City. Golden Kings coach Dai Oketani's club closes out the group phase of the EASL season on February 11 against the Meralco Bolts (3-2) in Manila.
Tokyo is back in action on February 4 against the New Taipei Kings (3-2) in Tachikawa. On February 11, the Alvark take on the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos (3-2) in the Mongolian capital.
Utsunomiya has two matches remaining in the group stage. The Brex have a Group A rematch on the road against Hong Kong Eastern on February 4. And coach Zico Coronel's squad then awaits a pivotal match against the visiting Taipei Fubon Braves (2-2) on February 11.
Soccer
Japan to Face Scotland, England in March Friendlies
Samurai Blue manager Hajime Moriyasu's squad will ratchet up preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a pair of exhibition matches in March.
Japan, ranked 19th in the world, will meet No 38 Scotland on March 28 at Glasgow's Hampden Park.
By beating Denmark 4-2 in November 2025, Scotland earned a trip to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
"It will be great to meet up with the squad for the first time since that crazy, momentous night, when they took us back to the World Cup after such a long time," Scotland coach Steve Clarke said, according to Reuters. "We can spend the first day reminiscing, but then it's back to the serious business of preparing for the summer."
The last Japan-Scotland match was played in 2009, and the Samurai Blue won the friendly 2-0 in Yokohama.
On March 31, Japan and fourth-ranked England will square off at Wembley Stadium in London.
In May 2010, England topped Japan 2-1 in an exhibition before the FIFA World Cup. Since then, the national teams haven't competed.
Kubo Hurts Left Hamstring
Real Sociedad midfielder Takefusa Kubo sustained a left hamstring injury in the Spanish League club's 2-1 win over Barcelona on Sunday, January 18.
In the 69th minute, Kubo was injured and was taken off the field on a stretcher.
"Tests confirm an injury to the hamstring muscles of his left leg," Real Sociedad said in a statement, estimating that he'd be sidelined for several weeks.
Depending on the time that it takes for Kubo to recover from the injury, it could impact his hopes of competing for Japan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Japan's first match is on June 14 against the Netherlands in Arlington, Texas.
Baseball
Ohtani Named the Top Player by MLB Network
Before the start of the Major League Baseball season every year, MLB Network compiles its list of the league's premier players.
Surprising nobody, Shohei Ohtani headlines the network's "Top 100 Players of 2026" list, which was announced on Friday, January 23.
In 2022 and '23, Ohtani was listed No 1 on MLB Network's chart. He returned to the top in 2025.
Ohtani, the National League MVP in 2025 and '26, and the two-time reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are just weeks away from the start of spring training.
The team's pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to the Dodgers' spring training complex in Glendale, Arizona, on February 13.
RELATED:
Quote of the Week
"I never imagined for even a second that I would win the championship myself, so I'm completely shocked now. This is the first time for me to come to the Four Continents, and winning is a dream come true."
―Yuna Aoki, on her first-place finish in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on January 23 in Beijing. Aoki had a personal-best score of 217.39 points in the competition. Also for Japan, Ami Nakai was second and Mone Chiba placed third.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
