IHI Sponsors the 2025 International Women's Wheelchair Basketball Friendship Games Osaka Cup
The 2025 International Women's Wheelchair Basketball Friendship Games Osaka Cup was held at Asue Arena Osaka from February 14 to 16, 2025. Since 2015, IHI has been an official sponsor of the Japan Wheelchair Basketball Federation, and this year it was a special sponsor of this event.
Teams from Japan, Australia, Canada, and Thailand took part, competing in goodwill matches. On the final day of the games, employees of the IHI Kansai Branch, IHI Infrastructure Systems, and other Group units, along with members of their families, numbering 75 in all, came to excitedly cheer on the Japanese team, which took second place.
Employees who watched the games shared their impressions, saying "I was captivated by the fevered excitement of the games, which were neck-and-neck until the very end," "The level of maneuvering and the physicality of the athletes was impressive and dynamic," and "There were so many exciting things, like the way the players had to get their wheelchairs back upright on their own when they got knocked over, or how for the defense, not only was the dribbling course important, but so was the orientation of the other teams' wheelchairs." Spectators had fun while gaining a deeper understanding of wheelchair basketball.
In addition to the competition, there were also a "Challenge Corner" and a hands-on event where members of the public could try their hand at wheelchair basketball, along with "Friendship Junior Lessons" in which children with disabilities could learn from seasoned players. A total of 8 IHI employees and family members took part.
During a halftime break, the International Wheelchair Basketball Friendship Games Osaka Cup Executive Committee presented the IHI Group with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of its sponsorship of the event.
The IHI Group will continue to support wheelchair basketball.
