MOL Signs Official Sponsorship with Wheelchair Rugby Team
- With Competitive Team BLITZ - One of the members is MOL Employee -

April 04, 2017

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Junichiro Ikeda) today announced the signing of an official sponsorship contract with the wheelchair rugby team BLITZ(*).

BLITZ is a wheelchair rugby team based in Saitama Prefecture, and was established in 2005. Currently it has 11 members. It is a competitive team that has captured the Japan Wheelchair Rugby Championships eight times. Kae Kurahashi, an MOL employee is also a BLITZ member, participating in weekly practices and playing an active role in matches both in Japan and overseas.

MOL will help further expand wheelchair rugby through official sponsorship of BLITZ, and foster an environment that encourages its diverse employees to play active roles inside and outside the company.

At the Japan Wheelchair Rugby Championships
Kae Kurahashi, second from right in the front row

(*) About wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby is a team sport for athletes who have disabilities requiring them to use wheelchairs. This is the only sport in Paralympic games that permits contact between wheelchairs. Players are allotted from 0.5 to 3.5 points depending on their level of disability. Under this system, the total points of four players on the court must be within 8.0 points. The wheelchairs used in the game are reinforced to make them durable enough to withstand extreme contact, and modified for players in different positions.