Japan targets 10 Vancouver Olympic medals

Tuesday 09th February, 06:41 AM JST

VANCOUVER —

Seiko Hashimoto, Japan’s Chef de Mission for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics, said Sunday she has set the country’s athletes a target of 10 medals. ‘‘As a medal target, I aim at the number we won in Nagano,’’ Hashimoto said after arriving in Vancouver from Japan.

At the 1998 Nagano Games, Japan secured the most medals it has ever won in a Winter Olympics with 10, including five golds.

‘‘I want to do whatever I can so that the Japanese athletes will reflect back on the Vancouver Olympics as their best Olympics,’’ said the 45-year-old, a seven-time Olympian who will be the first woman ever to head the Japanese team at a Summer Games or Winter Olympics.

Hashimoto holds the Japanese record for most Olympic appearances and has taken part in the Winter Games four times, winning a speed skating bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the 1992 Albertville Games.

She has also competed in three Summer Olympics as a cyclist.

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Junnama at 05:51 PM JST - 9th February

Not to diss Japan too much but you gotta wonder why South Korea has been kicking Japan's arse in the medal counts in both the Summer and Winter Olympics in recent years, even though SK sends a much smaller delegation to the games. I reckon it must be the kim-chee.

Korea wins all its medals in short track skating. Not a bad idea to put all your eggs in one basket if there are a lot of medals to be had, but SK is hardly a winter olympic power.
Disillusioned at 07:44 PM JST - 9th February

And then there were none!
KingRat at 08:32 PM JST - 9th February

I think figure skating will be interesting to watch since Japan has a new skater I haven't watched before and because of Plushenko.

Hockey will be nice to see as well. It will be all star matches for real.
marushka at 08:50 PM JST - 9th February

Hockey: Russia vs Canada?:) maybe Japan has some chances in figure skating, as they have got Russian coach:)
smithinjapan at 09:53 PM JST - 9th February

Junnama: "Korea wins all its medals in short track skating. Not a bad idea to put all your eggs in one basket if there are a lot of medals to be had, but SK is hardly a winter olympic power."

Not this time, my boy... gold medal in figure skating; at LEAST one. Kim Yu-Na is going to win.

Anyway, Korea places in other events as well. Japan, clearly, does not. I want all of them to do well, though. Makes the games more exciting.
LIBERTAS at 10:02 PM JST - 9th February

"Japan targets 10 Vancouver Olympic medals"

Or what, they'll all cry on the field like Nakamura during the FIFA World Cup?
Junnama at 10:12 PM JST - 9th February

Japan will certainly win less medals than SK but....

To be pedantic: SK has won 31 medals in the winter olympics - 29 in short track skating and 2 in speed skating.

Good luck to Kim in the figure skating, she's great. I don't see any other SK atheletes medaling outside short track, though...
Badsey at 11:10 PM JST - 9th February

Japan Women's Curling --> that's five medals right there.
jason6 at 09:17 AM JST - 10th February

Seiko Hashimoto, Japan’s Chef de Mission for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics

Am I reading this right? The CHEF of the mission is telling the athletes of Japan how many medals they should win? Stick to cooking and leave the competition alone!
ashika1009 at 09:19 AM JST - 10th February

If they don`t bring home the medals, just go Edo Period on the families. Execution grounds and lots of heads rolling. Sorta like this ridiculous drinking under the influence of alcohol (DUI) they now have in place. Group responsibility. Get the picture? Regression!
smithinjapan at 12:55 PM JST - 10th February

ashika: "If they don`t bring home the medals, just go Edo Period on the families. Execution grounds and lots of heads rolling. Sorta like this ridiculous drinking under the influence of alcohol (DUI) they now have in place. Group responsibility. Get the picture? Regression!"

That, or Japan could simply invest more in its Winter Olympics programme. And no, I don't mean paying someone 5,000,000 if they bring home a gold -- that does nothing for the Games -- I mean ensuring that they receive pay while training and what not so they don't have to take on other jobs and can focus on their sport.

Or, yeah, as you said, making heads roll.
goddog at 02:25 PM JST - 10th February

I could have sworn earlier in teh week they were reaching for 12...
ratpack at 03:11 PM JST - 10th February

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE...Wow...Seiko Hashimoto you surprise me!!!!! You have amazing sporting resume in all the winter and summer Olympic games' you attended as an athlete but by the looks of your comment it sure didn't teach you diddly squat about a nations expectations being thumped heavily on your shoulders by stupid and ridiculous comments someone makes now did it????? How about saying something simple like it would be fantastic if every Japanese athlete did a personal best in their respective discipline regardless of the place they come. If they did do a personal best in the choosen event on the Olympic stage what more could you ask for?? Now that would have went down a tad bit better.
ratpack at 03:14 PM JST - 10th February

kp123: Judo on ice (but that isn't an Olympic event....yet!!!
flavorflav at 11:08 PM JST - 10th February

How about saying something simple like it would be fantastic

Yeah, but each country's media tends to heap amounts of pressure on their athletes. It's a shame, but it happens. It's what drives advertisers to link their products to "star athletes" and brings home money.