Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa FZE (PMMAF) hosts Team Panasonic member, Olympian and Pan American karate gold medallist, Sakura Kokumai, at the Japan Pavilion Expo 2020 to mentor karate students from UAE.
Launched in 2020 with world-renowned Olympians and Paralympians Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Lex Gillette and Sakura Kokumai at the helm, Team Panasonic is comprised of the company’s more than 240,000 employees worldwide who are devoted to fostering the next generation of innovators and making the world a better place.
Local karate students were invited and given an opportunity to meet Sakura Kokumai, a seven-time USA national karate champion and one of the top four best karate athletes in the world currently. Students took part in an educative and active session which was led by Sakura and also attended the Japan Pavilion tour witnessing the Panasonic projection mapping technologies.
“Working with Panasonic I get to meet young budding athletes across the world, and today, at the EXPO, I got to impart my knowledge and experience to a very talented group. It is very important for me to help the next generation, giving them the correct advice so that they can achieve their true potential. As part of team Panasonic, globally we are focused in helping our youth and society in general understand positive growth and realise a healthier lifestyle,” commented Sakura Kokumai.
“Personally, I have resonated with one of the core principles of Panasonic that is ‘untiring effort for improvement’ which reflects my own philosophy on how to achieve greatness and I want to pass on the same message to all aspiring young athletes.” She added.
“Sakura is an exceptional athlete, and today she supported us inspiring a new generation of karate champions. For Panasonic, positive contribution towards the community is one of our core principles and a platform like Expo 2020 has given us the opportunity to nurturing young minds. Our commitment to excellence is well documented, and with athletes like Sakura Kokumai on board with us, we will continue to create key moments such as this, so that the future generation can continuously find encouragement and inspiration,” added Hiroyuki Shibutani, Managing Director, PMMAF.
Commenting on their experience at the session, 14-year-old karate student Muneer Al-Hassan from Karate 365 said “Today was such an experience, meeting with an Olympic great, and what she taught us will help us immensely. I speak for all of us when I say we are truly inspired and will take what we learned today to progress as an athlete,”
“I cannot express how inspirational this meeting with Sakura Kokumai has been for me personally. I have always wanted to be the best in the sport, and I know now that this success is achievable. The knowledge I got today will be instrumental for me moving forward,” added Hana Duce, 13-year-old karate student from Champions Karate.
For over 100 years, one of Panasonic’s core guiding principles has been “contribution to society.” This even is another example on the Panasonic’s devotion to societal progress and a commitment to serve the communities in which they operate. Panasonic believes in the promise and power of technology to improve people’s lives.
