Office for Sports Promotion

Rie Odajima suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident when she was 22 years old and became paralyzed, resulting in weakened right lower limb and trunk function.After she was discharged from the hospital, she casually attended a wheelchair basketball experience class held at a sports center for people with disabilities that she visited for rehabilitation purposes, and that's when she first encountered Odajima and wheelchair basketball.
　I've always loved sports, but I only played basketball a little during my free time.However, this one experience brought back fond memories of his high school days, when he worked hard every day in the Shorinji Kempo club and competed in national tournaments aiming for the top.Since then, he has been fascinated by the fun of wheelchair basketball and has started going to wheelchair basketball practice every week.Wanting to once again aim for the top in the sport, he began to take wheelchair basketball seriously.

After that, Coach Nagano was appointed as the head coach of "GRACE".When he first received his guidance, he was convinced that if he followed this person, he would definitely become better.
　``Until now, I had been fumbling through practice, so each movement was a ``dot.'' But thanks to Coach Nagano's guidance, those ``dots'' were connected and became a ``line.'' ”
　The following year, at another selection meeting, he showed such growth that the coach of the Japan national team praised him, saying, "He's growing at a tremendous speed. I'm looking forward to the future." I was able to stand on the starting line.

In addition to his daily practice, Odajima always participates in promotional activities for wheelchair basketball.
　Currently, there are few practice locations due to issues such as general awareness of the sport, lack of progress in making it barrier-free, and facility managers' concerns about the floor being damaged by wheelchairs.Wheelchair basketball is a sport that can be enjoyed under the same conditions by people with and without disabilities.For this reason, we are continuing our activities to make more people aware of the appeal of wheelchair basketball through trial events, which will lead to an increase in the number of players and an improvement in the practice environment.
　Additionally, when Odajima sees people in wheelchairs around town, he approaches them and invites them to wheelchair basketball practice.
　``When I see someone rowing around in a wheelchair, I can tell that this person is suited for basketball.Once, the person I approached was a former GRACE player. That’s right (laughs).”
　Even now that he has been designated as a player for the Japanese national team, he is actively engaged in PR activities.

Additionally, the fact that he became a designated athlete for the Japanese national team and his training environment has changed drastically has made him even more passionate about the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
　``As 2020 approaches, the support from those around me is getting louder.As a designated player, it is definitely beneficial for me to have a training camp at a high level with players who are candidates for the Japanese national team. The more I practiced, the more I felt that I wanted to compete against strong players from overseas.”
　I'm looking forward to seeing what Odajima will do in the future.