Sports in Tokyo
Encyclopedia
Tokyo is a major center for sports in Japan. Its professional sports teams compete in baseball, football (soccer), and sumo. It hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Two professional baseball
clubs make their home in Tokyo. They are the Yakult Swallows (at Meiji-Jingu Stadium) and Yomiuri Giants
(at Tokyo Dome
).
The Japan Sumo Association
is also headquartered in Tokyo at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan
sumo arena where three official sumo
tournaments are held annually (in January, May, and September).
Football (soccer)
clubs in Tokyo include FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy, both of which play at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chōfu
.
Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics
. National Stadium, also known as Olympic Stadium, Tokyo is host to a number of international sporting events. With a number of world-class sports venues, Tokyo often hosts national and international sporting events such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, American football exhibition games, judo, and karate.
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
, in Sendagaya, Shibuya, is a large sports complex that includes pools, training rooms, and a large indoor arena.
) and it takes place in September after the US Open. Tokyo also hosts a tennis event on the men's ATP
tour.
, until they were canceled due to the outbreak of World War II
. The city subsequently hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics
, which was the first time the Olympic Games were held in Asia
. Tokyo had also bidded unsuccessfully for the 2016 Summer Olympics
, which were granted to Rio de Janeiro
. Tokyo is now bidding
to host the 2020 Summer Olympics
.
Two professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
clubs make their home in Tokyo. They are the Yakult Swallows (at Meiji-Jingu Stadium) and Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
(at Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
).
The Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
is also headquartered in Tokyo at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan
Ryogoku Kokugikan
, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...
sumo arena where three official sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
tournaments are held annually (in January, May, and September).
Football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
clubs in Tokyo include FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy, both of which play at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chōfu
Chofu, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C...
.
Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
. National Stadium, also known as Olympic Stadium, Tokyo is host to a number of international sporting events. With a number of world-class sports venues, Tokyo often hosts national and international sporting events such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, American football exhibition games, judo, and karate.
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
is a world-class sporting complex in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1954 for the World Wrestling Championship, it was also used as the venue for gymnastics events at the 1964 Summer Olympics...
, in Sendagaya, Shibuya, is a large sports complex that includes pools, training rooms, and a large indoor arena.
Football (soccer)
- F.C. Tokyo
- Tokyo Verdy
- Machida Zelvia (MachidaMachida, Tokyois a city located in the western part of the greater metropolis of Tokyo, Japan. The city was founded on February 1, 1958.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 424,669 and a population density of 5,928.65 persons per km². The total area is 71.63 km²...
) - Yokogawa Musashino F.C.Yokogawa Musashino F.C.are a football club based in Musashino City, Tokyo, Japan. They play in the Japan Football League. Their team colour is blue.-History:The club was founded as a football club of Yokogawa Electric Corporation in 1939. In 1978, the club achieved their first promotion to the Kanto Regional League...
(MusashinoMusashino, Tokyois a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 137,222 and a population density of 12,788.63 persons per km². The total area is 10.73 km².The city was founded on November 3, 1947...
)
Rugby
- Ricoh Black RamsRicoh Black RamsRicoh Black Rams is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. Placed 10th in the 2004-5 season which meant it had to win a play-off against one of the top regional teams to stay in the league, as it did.Slogan for 2006 season: TAFU...
(SetagayaSetagaya, Tokyois one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood within the ward. The ward calls itself the City of Setagaya in English...
) - Suntory SungoliathSuntory SungoliathSuntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
(FuchūFuchu, Tokyois a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 255,394 and a population density of 8,700 persons per km². The total area was 29.34 km²...
) - Toshiba Brave LupusToshiba Brave LupusToshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
(FuchūFuchu, Tokyois a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 255,394 and a population density of 8,700 persons per km². The total area was 29.34 km²...
)
Tennis
Tokyo hosts one of the ten prestigious Tier I tournaments on the women's tennis tour (WTAWomen's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
) and it takes place in September after the US Open. Tokyo also hosts a tennis event on the men's ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
tour.
Olympics
Tokyo was scheduled to host the 1940 Summer Olympics1940 Summer Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad and originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to October 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan, were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II...
, until they were canceled due to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The city subsequently hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
, which was the first time the Olympic Games were held in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Tokyo had also bidded unsuccessfully for the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
, which were granted to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Tokyo is now bidding
Tokyo bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics
Tokyo 2020 is a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics launched by the city of Tokyo and the Japanese Olympic Committee. The IOC will announce the official candidate cities on May 23, 2012. The winning bid will be announced on September 7, 2013 at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires...
to host the 2020 Summer Olympics
2020 Summer Olympics
The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, will be a major international sports and cultural festival, celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games....
.