News Releases
Tokyo (October 12, 2017) – Bridgestone Corporation and its Group companies, Bridgestone Cycle Co., Ltd. (Bridgestone Cycle) and Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. (Bridgestone Sports), are leveraging their tire, bicycle, and sporting equipment technology cultivated over the years to start work on initiatives that support para-athletes who are fighting to achieve their dreams. With these efforts, the Bridgestone Group is striving to use its technology to help address some of the challenges facing para-athletes, and to that end, develop analysis and resolution technology in addition to new tools.
Bridgestone Cycle and Bridgestone Sports have been working on their own analysis and resolution technology to suggest and customize the optimal tools for individual athletes and advise them on their use. In combining these methods of technical support, the Group will be able to apply and develop the equipment that is best suited to meet the needs of individual para-athletes. Specifically, the Group has started working to develop rubber for soles of sports prosthetics and gloves for use with wheelchairs in athletics as new tools for para-athletes of Team Bridgestone Japan.
Through the diversity and experience of Team Bridgestone Japan, as well as the Group’s experience in supporting various athletes and competitions, Bridgestone is proud to support all athletes in the pursuit of their goals and dreams.
Tools under Development
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Tool |
Rubber soles for sports prosthetics |
Rubber for wheelchair event gloves |
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Event(s) |
Paratriathlon (running) |
Wheelchair tennis and badminton |
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Function |
A sole that athletes can use to run on a variety of surfaces |
A glove to reduce hand soreness when using wheelchairs in athletics |
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Athlete(s) |
Yukako Hata |
Manami Tanaka, Kohei Kobayashi |
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Photo
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Bridgestone Cycle Initiatives
Dating back to the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964, Bridgestone Cycle has supported athletes by not only assisting with equipment, but by providing training environments and offering advice based on measurements of pedaling output and positioning. In bicycle development, Bridgestone Cycle established PROFORMAT, a frame development technology, in 2016 to maximize propulsion. Bridgestone Cycle continues to use these technologies to support athletes and para-athletes today.
Bridgestone Sports Initiatives
Bridgestone Sports develops sports equipment and sportswear to elicit the best performance from all athletes, whether they are competing in Japan or elsewhere. Rackets are customized to each athlete’s style of play using Bridgestone Sports’ “Bridgestone Smart Fitting” technology, which combines its own swing analysis software with a device to measure trajectory. Moving forward, Bridgestone Sports will continue to support the growth and development of athletes in competitive wheelchair tennis.
Team Bridgestone
As an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Worldwide Olympic Partner and a Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Gold Partner, Bridgestone Corporation established Team Bridgestone Japan on June 23, 2017 to further the company’s “Chase Your Dream” global message. Technical support for para-athletes’ represents one of three primary Team Bridgestone activities, “Challenge as a Team.”
- Challenge as a Team
Both Bridgestone Athlete Ambassadors and Team Bridgestone Athletes who use Bridgestone sports equipment embody the company’s “Chase Your Dream” message. The company supports all members of Team Bridgestone by creating better environments for games, providing equipment that elicits the best performances, and offering technical support.
- Offer Encouragement as a Team
As members of Team Bridgestone, the Bridgestone Athlete Ambassadors participate in Bridgestone-sponsored events and share their own personal stories to help empower people to persevere in pursuit of their dreams.
- Build Bridges as a Team
Through exchanges between Team Bridgestone athletes of diverse backgrounds, Bridgestone employees, and residents of the communities in which Bridgestone is located, the company is working to inspire more enthusiasm for the Olympic and Paralympic Movement and build bridges to encourage participation while having fun.
About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.