On June 4th, male volleyball players Yuki Ishikawa, Ran Takahashi, and Yuji Nishida attended the opening ceremony for the "Volleyball Nations League 2026" held at Akasaka Sacas Square (Minato Ward, Tokyo).
Yoshitaka Hara of the popular group "timelesz," who serves as a supporter for the event, also came to the stadium. During the ceremonial first pitch, Ishikawa's throw hit Hara directly. Although it was a soft hit, Hara fell to the ground, and Ishikawa apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."
There was also a moment where the players wrote their aspirations for the tournament on a panel. Ishikawa wrote, "Thank you for your support. I will win a medal," and added, "I want to continue to build a team that everyone can support." Nishida wrote, "We will win a medal," and said, "Please support us from behind. We consider you all our teammates, so please watch over us." Takahashi wrote, "Thank you so much for your support," and expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "It will be a tough and important battle. I want to work hard with Hara to win a medal."
TBS will broadcast all men's and women's matches of the Japanese round of the "Volleyball Nations League 2026" starting July 8th. BS-TBS will broadcast all of Japan's men's and women's matches in the overseas rounds, which started on June 4th.
