May I know where is the list? Also for XD, is Nagahara and Hoki still playing? I guess Matsutomo won't be since Kaneko is kicked.
Smash.net TV did have full matches available on the web, but now I can only find digests. Sonoda collapsed after the match, so watching the full version won't show this scene. But, what would be revealed is, 1) Sonoda's legs failing to move from G2 onwards, 2) his smashes failing to penetrate, and 3) Kamura valiantly trying to cover for him. From where I was sitting, the post-match scene looked like this ... this is before the medics arrived. It's bizarre how the victory interview was being conducted, when an obviously physically distressed player was lying nearby. Apparently, it was a case of dehydration.
Another identical list is available at http://www.smash-net.tv/topics/details/id/2169/. But the official announcement will only be made on Tuesday, December 10. There may be a couple of tweaks. I expect Nagahara/Hoki to continue playing as an XD. As for Kaneko, ... somehow, I doubt it. When I was watching the finals, both Kurihara and Kaneko stayed on long after all of the other players had vacated their "seats reserved for players". Kaneko alone stayed on right until the end, watching the SonoKamu/Endo/Watanabe match intently. This scene made quite an impression; I wonder what was going through his mind.
Thanks for the update. Yeah I see some slow but growing potential in Nagahara and Hoki partnership as they've come from first round exits to steadier showings in recent times. Obviously nowhere near the Japan top XD but they could be a good backup in the future I guess. Also, Kaneko must have been like "I could be on that court right now. How did I mess up!?"
Here's another list. This link will take you to the NBA's press release; i.e., the true source. → https://www.badminton.or.jp/docs/20191202_nationalmember.pdf
Naraoka Kodai has commented that he will make public his "next step" soon. In the meantime, these are the rumours that are bouncing around social networks: Conversation 1 A. What's Naraoka going to do [after he graduates from high school]? B. He's going to enter Nihon University. A. What's your source? B. A friend of my brother plays for Nippon Sport Science University, and he heard it from a Nihon University club player. ... But Naraoka is going to do nothing more than enrol; he will be spending most of his time training with his father at Namioka High School. He is going to enrol only to have his overseas tournaments paid for. Conversation 2 A. What's Naraoka going to do [after he graduates from high school]? B. He's going to enter Nihon University. A. In that case he might not even make it in time for the Paris Olympics. B. He was turned down by a corporate team because of his attitude. A. Which corporate team, if you don't mind? B. NTT-East. Hmmm.....???
Joining a corporate team, such as Tonami, Unisys, or NTT-East, means becoming a full-time employee at the company. If Naraoka enters university, then he will be affiliated to the university badminton club. Needless to say, the training environment of universities is inferior to that of corporate teams; so usually, players who aspire to reach the top, will try to enter a corporate team upon graduation from high school. However, things do not always go according to plan. There are only limited openings at these corporate teams and, if the team of your choice refuses to accept you, then entering university and going on to win the Intercollegiate Championship and some international tournaments, may be enough to give you a second break. Naraoka would normally be a top choice for corporate teams; the fact that he is not being admitted to one, signifies that negotiations may not have gone smoothly. I really don't know, but somehow I feel that he is not the type to tow the corporate line, and some demands made during negotiations may have been unpalatable to the team of his choice.
That was a bit interesting. I did know that players were genrally allfiated to companies in Japan, but I did not know that it was an either/or situation with universities, nor that the level was inferiour to the companies. Thank you, was interesting to find out.
It looks like some of the photographs have not been uploaded yet, but Japan's National Team for 2020 is viewable at: https://www.badminton.or.jp/national/member/2020.html#groupA https://www.badminton.or.jp/national/member/2020.html#groupB I know someone is going to be happy!!
Usually there is no demotion from Team A to Team B. Once you are off Team A, that's it, ... for a year at least. Inoue/Kaneko not only had a relatively bad year on the international scene; unfortunately, at the All Japan Championships they were beaten fairly early on by the pair (Koga/Saito) that have replaced them on Team A. I'm not sure if it's a wise move; I certainly think they have more talent than Koga/Saito. The same could be said for Kawakami Saena (former team B, WR 32). Just a week ago, or so, she beat Team A member Takahashi Sayaka in an S/J match. But her poor showing at the All Japan Championships also spelt doom for her.
Really? Who might that be? Both team composition are as good as it gets, imo. Team B has no less than 6 WS (and MS) players, all of whom are young and talented (and include Riko Gunji), Watanabe is in the A Team, Naraoka officially in Team B. Overall, it looks like the NBA has finally realized they've been sleeping on the development of their young players. Let's hope this team sheet translates into players actually being sent to tournaments.