A Palaceside Building New Year gathering was held on January 24 in Mainichi Hall on the first basement level to deepen ties among tenants, building people and tenants with one another; about 100 tenants and building staff took part.
The New Year event that brings tenants and building people together began in 2013; this is the sixth. After the Great East Japan Earthquake we planned it from the sense that everyday relations matter if we are to help one another in a disaster.
As usual the gathering had two parts, a lecture and a reception. In part one, after greetings from Mainichi Building Co. president Toshiro Hara, Sports Nippon (Sponichi) editorial writer Kenji Fujiyama of the Mainichi Newspapers Group spoke on “From PyeongChang to Tokyo: the past, present and future of the Olympics” (photo). Drawing on covering seven Summer and Winter Games since Calgary 1988, he had much to tell.
On doping he noted that elite athletes who reach the Games must report their whereabouts so they can be tested unannounced; samples go into special containers that cannot be opened by ordinary twists of the lid; and Russia still swapped samples as a literal state effort. He also said Japan began putting effort into figure-skating development after Midori Ito narrowly missed gold for silver at Albertville 1992; that summer the first national camp of promising elementary and junior-high skaters was held, and among the first class was Shizuka Arakawa, who would win gold at Turin 2006; that system continues, and today’s top skaters have all grown up in it.
There were other interesting stories, but the talk reached PyeongChang, not Tokyo 2020. How many medals might Japan take in PyeongChang? The JOC target is “nine or more including several golds”; Fujiyama guessed the record 10 (Nagano) might be reached, and about five golds. Besides figure and speed skating, where medalists are lined up, new snowboard and ski events have grown and promising Japanese athletes have come up.
After the lecture the reception began with a toast from Mainichi Building Co. chairman Tsuneo Haneda; conversation continued with Fujiyama. Mainichi Newspapers director and Tokyo head-office representative Koichi Masuda and Media Do president Yasushi Fujita also attended; participants exchanged cards, introduced their companies and themselves, and deepened ties.