On December 26, 2021, the Japan Ice Hockey Federation announced the 23 athletes who have been informally selected to represent Japan at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Waseda University first-year student Shiori Yamashita, and third-year students Remi Koyama and Hikaru Yamashita, all of the School of Sport Sciences, have been chosen (all three will be on the same team: the Seibu Princess Rabbits).
The ice hockey event will start the day before the Games’ opening ceremony, with the first matches being against Sweden, ranked ninth in the world, on February 3; against Denmark, ranked 11th, on February 5; against China, ranked 20th and the host nation, on February 6; and against Czechoslovakia, ranked seventh, on February 8.
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©JIHF Photo, Nagayama
Shiori Yamashita
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 2002 and enrolled in the Waseda University School of Sport Sciences in 2021. She started ice hockey at the age of three. In 2021, she took part in the Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Canada. She plays defender.
©JIHF Photo, Nagayama
Hikaru Yamashita
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 2000 and enrolled in the Waseda University School of Sport Sciences in 2019. She will be competing at Beijing 2022 alongside her younger sister Shiori. In 2021, she took part in the Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Canada. She plays forward.
©JIHF Photo, Nagayama
Remi Koyama
Born in Yamanashi Prefecture in 2000 and enrolled in the Waseda University School of Sport Sciences in 2019. She started ice hockey at age six and moved to Tokyo in high school. In 2021, she took part in the Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Canada. She was chosen as an Olympic torch relay runner for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
