Rakuten Sports Rolls Out “Uprising Tokyo,” a New International Skateboarding Event Coming to Tokyo This May

Tokyo, January 13, 2023 - Rakuten Sports, a Rakuten Group service focused on creating partnerships built on shared values with professional sports teams, athletes, brands and rights-holders around the world, today announced the launch of Uprising Tokyo, a new international skateboarding event to be held in collaboration with pro skateboarding icon and Rakuten partner Yuto Horigome. Hosted by Rakuten, the inaugural edition will be a three-day tournament held in Tokyo from May 26-28, 2023.

Uprising Tokyo aims to grow the skateboarding industry and culture in both Japan and on the global stage by breaking down barriers to entry for the sport and making “skateboarding for all.” The event promotes the action sport’s unique cultural aspects by integrating it with entertainment, fashion, street culture and more. The competition is slated to feature Men's and Women's Professional and Amateur categories, as well as a special Junior’s category to be held at the scenic Ariake Arena on the edge of Tokyo Bay. Further competition details will be announced at a later date.

Yuto Horigome commented, “This new event aims to grow skateboarding culture in Japan and worldwide and I am thrilled to watch it unfold. I hope Uprising Tokyo serves as an opportunity for many new fans to fall in love with the sport that has changed my life.”

Koji Ando, Rakuten Group Managing Executive Officer and Vice President of Rakuten’s Global Sports Business, commented, “Skateboarding’s popularity has increased rapidly in recent years, and there is much potential for the sport to continue to grow exponentially. With Uprising Tokyo, we fully intend to bring all the excitement of international skateboarding to the community in Tokyo and beyond. We’ve been planning this since we first launched our partnership with Yuto in April 2022, and we are thrilled to work alongside such a superb talent to grow the sport in Japan and globally.”

Long considered a subculture in Japan, skateboarding has deep connections with fashion and art culture. In recent years the sport has risen to the mainstream, finding fans in younger audiences increasingly familiar with diverse cultural experiences. More recently, skateboarding has been further popularized by the media as Japanese men and women athletes excel in international competitions, raising Japan’s profile on the global competition stage. Skateboarding culture continues to grow in the country as new generations adopt the sport as their own.

Skateboarding culture in Japan is rising up and out of the shadow into the spotlight. The name symbolizes a positive message of upward momentum and change, emoting a sense of direction – both metaphorically and physically. Uprising Tokyo aims to cultivate skateboarding in Japan, tackle negative stereotypes of the sport, and empower skateboarding communities through participation. It is designed to spread positivity through inclusive and inspirational storytelling, teach non-skateboarders about the sport’s potential, and set a new standard for quality skateboarding events.

Event name: Uprising Tokyo
Host: Rakuten Group, Inc.
Date: May 26-28, 2023
Venue: Ariake Arena (11-1, Ariake 1-Chome, Koto Ward, Tokyo, Japan)                          
Categories: Men's and Women's Professional & Amateur, Junior’s
Other event categories featured: Entertainment, fashion, street culture, skateboarding culture and more
Project vision: “Skateboarding for All”

Priority ticket sales for Uprising Tokyo will begin in mid-February (tentative), prior to regular ticket sales. For more information, including an outline of the event and how to purchase tickets, please visit the event channel on the free, secure messaging and communications app Rakuten Viber.

Download Rakuten Viber to visit the official event channel below.
Rakuten Viber event channel URL: https://r10.to/h6r56u

Rakuten Sports is a Rakuten Group service that focuses on creating partnerships built on shared values with professional sports teams, athletes, brands and rights-holders. For more information visit https://biz.sports.rakuten.net/