Toyota’s strong commitment to sports can be traced back to the company’s early days. Ever since founder Kiichiro Toyoda created a sports club alongside the automotive division, sports have gone hand in hand with Toyota’s corporate activities.

The sporting values of Never Give Up, Challenge, Teamwork, and Respect—never giving up until the end and fighting for your teammates—have long been associated with Toyota’s identity.

Today, Toyota supports athletes from Toyota Motor Corporation and other Group companies, as well as athletes competing around the world under the banner of Global Team Toyota Athletes (GTTA).

A total of 81 GTTA athletes from 11 countries will compete in these Asian Games and Asian Para Games, with 58 competing in the Asian Games and 23 in the Asian Para Games.

List of GTTA Athletes Competing in the Asian Games and Asian Para Games (Japanese only)
*The list of competing athletes is updated regularly

A total of 23 GTTA athletes joined the press conference, with 19 competing in the Asian Games and 4 in the Asian Para Games. A look at the roster reveals a lot to look forward to in the upcoming Games.

The softball team is aiming for its seventh consecutive Asian Games title. After being dropped from the Olympic program following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the sport will make a comeback at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics two years from now. Players from the Toyota Red Terriers and Toyota Industries Shining VEGA will once again aim for the top of Asia with their sights set on the world stage.

The basketball team is aiming for its first gold medal since 1998, a 28-year drought. Five players have been selected from the Toyota Antelopes and Denso Iris, who competed for the championship in this year’s W League Finals. They are rivals on the national stage, but here they stand together as teammates aiming for the top of Asia. The five players also have connections dating back to their high school and university days. Their chemistry will be something to watch for.

Handball also features some fascinating rivalries within the Toyota Group. In the national league, Toyoda Gosei Blue Falcon Nagoya and Toyota Auto Body Brave Kings Kariya have battled it out for the championship time and again. Players who have fiercely competed against each other in the domestic league will now wear the same uniform and play together on the Japanese national team.

In sailing, Kensei Ikeda, who finished fourth in the iQFOiL class at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, is determined to improve on that result. Sera Nagamatsu and Misaki Tanaka captured silver in the 49erFX class at the last Games and are now aiming for the gold.

At the Asian Para Games, para-athletics competitor Kakeru Ishida set a new Japanese record in the 100m this year. He competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics without spectators and was unable to participate in the Paris 2024 Paralympics. This time, he will compete in his home prefecture of Aichi, running to the cheers of a large crowd.

Daiki Ishiyama carried the flag for the Japanese delegation at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and switched from the long jump to sprinting this year. Aya Shinohara of Oita Toyota began para archery as part of her rehabilitation and won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta. Judo athlete Kiyomi Watanabe will compete as a member of the Philippine national team.

The Toyota Group supports the Games in many ways to help athletes perform at their best. One of these is mobility. A Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle featuring special Games-themed wrapping made an appearance at the press venue. It will support the Games right alongside the athletes, serving as a lead vehicle for the torch relay and the marathon, among other roles.

This support extends beyond just vehicles, encompassing a wide range of areas including providing training venues and accommodations, employee volunteers, portable restrooms, and spectator tours for children with mobility challenges. Aisin is providing its YYSystem, a voice recognition system designed to facilitate communication with hearing-impaired individuals.

Toyota Group’s development of equipment for para sports clearly exemplifies its commitment to supporting athletes.

Takuya Miki, the silver medalist in the men’s doubles at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, will compete in wheelchair tennis at the Asian Para Games. Kenta Kibe of Toyota’s Mobility Tooling Division helped develop the seat for the wheelchair Miki uses in the competition.

In wheelchair tennis, players maneuver around a standard-size tennis court in their wheelchairs. The athlete's body and wheelchair must function as one to endure long matches. How could the team reduce Miki’s fatigue? How could the wheelchair provide firm support? How could it help bring out more of his potential? The team repeatedly tested and refined the seat based on Miki’s feedback.

Kibe describes their relationship this way: “It feels like we’re fighting alongside the athletes.”

In para sports, athletes and their equipment function as one. By applying its manufacturing expertise, Toyota fights alongside the athletes. This is another way Toyota can make a unique contribution to sports.

A commercial depicting the relationship between Miki and Kibe has now been produced.

Hard work, talent, and instinct. Athletes grow stronger by constantly reflecting on themselves and relentlessly honing their abilities.
But that’s not all. It’s by having people who support them, teammates who push each other to new heights, and fans cheering them on that athletes can become versions of themselves they never imagined.

In addition to Miki and Kibe, these commercials also feature a variety of athletes and the people who support them in their challenges.

The moments when athletes shine on the field may be fleeting. However, reaching those moments requires a long journey involving many people: family, teammates, developers, and coworkers.

Athletes are supported not only by those closest to them. Cheers from the stands also give them strength.

In 2021, many events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics were held without spectators.
Nanami Takenaka, a former member of the Japanese national rhythmic gymnastics team who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and currently serves as an athlete caster for Toyota Times Sports, reflects: “I competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but it was a quiet Games held without spectators.”

Akio Toyoda, then President, called on everyone to support Toyota athletes coming from overseas as fellow members of Team Toyota, regardless of nationality, so that they would not feel alone and could compete to the best of their abilities.

Toyota Times Sports was born out of that spirit. We have secured the video streaming rights for this year’s Asian Games and Asian Para Games, and we will be delivering daily updates on the GTTA’s performances throughout the event.

Learn about the athletes. Learn about the sports. Learn about the stories behind them. 
The more people who learn about them, the more people will cheer them on. These cheers, in turn, empower the athletes. At Paris 2024, there were loud cheers and excitement at both the Olympics and Paralympics. That’s why, this time, right here in Aichi...

Go to the venues in person. Watch on TV or via streaming. Participate as a volunteer. There’s more than one way to get involved. We put the athletes at the center of everything we do. That’s why we want to fill the venues with excitement.

Everyone who supports the athletes, tells their stories, or cheers them on gives them strength. “Let’s all share the excitement we couldn’t share back then.” The Asian Games and the Asian Para Games. This time, let’s all get fired up together.

The Asian Games open on September 19, and the Asian Para Games on October 18 (some events will begin before the opening ceremonies).

By the way...

Akio Toyoda participated in the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok as a member of the Japanese national hockey team. The team finished in fourth place. Whenever this topic comes up, he laughs and humbly remarks: “Back then, just being fast was enough to make the national team...”