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Tokyo (May 17, 2018) – Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced a partnership with Japanese golf star Ai Miyazato that makes the former world number one player the company’s latest athlete ambassador. As a part of Team Bridgestone in Japan, Miyazato will participate in events held by the Bridgestone Group and share its global message of “CHASE YOUR DREAM.” In addition, Bridgestone will support Miyazato as she tackles new challenges in this next stage of her career.

Miyazato realized her dream of becoming the top-ranked female golfer in the world at a young age, and her skills and stance toward the game won the hearts of golf fans across the globe. After retiring from competition last year, she chose to embark on a new journey to repay her fans for the support she received during her career and inspire the next generation of athletes. Bridgestone’s global message of “CHASE YOUR DREAM,” which is designed to empower people of all abilities to persevere in pursuit of their dreams, resonated with Miyazato and inspired her to join Team Bridgestone Japan.

As an athlete ambassador, Miyazato will play a key role in accomplishing the three goals of Team Bridgestone Japan: tackling challenges as a team, offering encouragement as a team, and bridging gaps as a team.

In her first activity as a Bridgestone Athlete Ambassador, Miyazato participated in the 2018 Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open in May. During the three-day event, Miyazato took part in a mock press conference for local junior high school students and hosted a junior golf workshop. She also participated in the “Bridgestone × Olympic × Paralympic a GO GO!” event held in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture in June.

Bridgestone is a Worldwide Olympic Partner of the International Olympic Committee and a Gold Partner of the Japanese Paralympic Committee. Its support for Team Bridgestone athletes is just one of the ways the company is working to inspire people to overcome hardships and chase their dreams on the road to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

About Ai Miyazato

Born in Okinawa in 1985, Ai Miyazato started playing golf at the age of four and won her first tour championship in 2003 while still in high school. She notched her first victory as a professional golfer in 2004, played in her first LPGA Championship in 2006, and overcame the odds to win the Evian Championship in 2009. Miyazato set a new record for Japanese golfers by winning five official tournaments on the LPGA Tour in 2010, the same year she became the No. 1 ranked female golfer in the world. Miyazato retired from professional competition in September 2017.

About Team Bridgestone

Team Bridgestone is comprised of a group of athlete ambassadors from around the world who embody the company’s “Chase Your Dream” message and serve as the face of Bridgestone activities. In addition to Miyazato, Team Bridgestone Japan’s athlete roster includes Kosuke Hagino, a competitive swimmer; the women’s ice hockey athletes of the Japanese Olympic Team, known as Smile Japan; Ryo Chikatani, who competes in track cycling; Ai Ueda, a triathlete; Mami Tani, a para-triathlete; Ayaka Watanabe, a golfer; Manami Tanaka, who competes in wheelchair tennis; and Kohei Kobayashi, a para-badminton player.

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