Volleyball (defensive)

Yumi Haseyama

YUUMI HASEYAMA

Yumi Haseyama, a candidate for the Japanese women's volleyball team for the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, appeared as a guest athlete at the joint opening ceremony of the 78th Tokyo Metropolitan Sports Meet and the 26th Tokyo Metropolitan Sports Games for the Disabled, held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on May 10, 2025. At the opening ceremony, she delivered the opening and closing speeches in sign language alongside Nobuharu Asahara, a silver medalist in the men's 7x100m relay at the Beijing Olympics. The social program also promoted the appeal of deaf sports through a talk session and a deaf volleyball demonstration. During the talk session, she spoke about the appeal of deaf sports and the importance of eye contact on the court and communication through body language, not just sign language, deepening understanding and empathy among the audience. She also cited the Samsung Deaflympics 2017, where she won a gold medal, as a memorable tournament, saying, "The large crowds gathered at the venue and created a lively atmosphere. Even though I'm deaf, I really felt the support." During the deaf volleyball demonstration, Haseyama played in a friendly atmosphere with Mr. Asahara, who was wearing earmuffs, and other tournament participants, livening up the venue and conveying the appeal of deaf sports to the audience. We look forward to seeing even more success from Haseyama in the future, so let's continue to support him as we approach the Tokyo 5 Deaflympics! Check out the event for more details.CLICK HEREYou can see from the link.