I am the Sports King of Tunnels!!:Introducing all the performers: Paris Olympic medalists, the strongest female golf pro team, and King Kazu in the soccer match

The annual New Year's special program by the comedy duo "Tunnels" "I'm the Sports King!!" (TV Asahi) will be broadcast from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm on January 2nd. Paris Olympic medalists will gather and split into "Team Ishibashi" led by Takaaki Ishibashi and "Team Kinashi" led by Noritake Kinashi, and compete in fencing, badminton, judo, and more.

The popular "Real Baseball Ban Showdown" project will feature Major League Baseball player Seiya Suzuki for the second year in a row, as well as the "Young Samurai" from the World Baseball Premier 12. The "Golf Showdown" will feature the "Strongest Female Pro Brigade" consisting of players Hinako Shibuno, Yuka Sasao, and Sakura Koiwai, as well as first-time participants Ayaka Furue, Haruka Kawasaki, and Reo Takeda. Actors Yutaka Mizutani and Shun Oguri will also be taking part.

In the "Soccer Showdown," past and present Japan national team coaches from the 1998 France World Cup to the 2022 Qatar World Cup will gather, along with current national team coach Moriyasu Hajime. "King Kazu" Miura Kazuyoshi will also join in, making this the most heated battle in the history of "Sports King."

Ishibashi commented, "This time, it's a 'Paris Olympic medalists gathering special'! Team Ishibashi had great teamwork. Badminton players Shida Chiharu and Matsuyama Nami are very cheerful! Abe Hifumi, Miyawaki Karin, Tamai Rikuto and Harimoto Miwa all worked well together and were more fired up than they were for the Olympics, so it was a very good battle. In fencing, we practiced with the feeling that 'I'll definitely get one point from Nagano Yudai,' so this battle is also one of the highlights of this time."

He continued, "In women's golf, new stars are really born one after another. The ones who do well that year appear on 'Sports King' and then take another step up for the following year...it's like we're the final qualifying round (laughs). Mizutani Yutaka and Oguri Shun also came. Oguri was so passionate about golf that he said, 'I had custom clubs made.' He said, 'It's so I can show off my skills' (laughs). Mizutani also came to settle the score at one win and one loss, and played well."

Kinashi appealed, "For the soccer match, we had everyone from King Kazu to the Japanese national team of each age group. They performed together while also creating an atmosphere of hierarchical relationships (laughs)... it was great! Please pay attention to everyone's reactions. I'm always happy to meet the athletes, some I haven't seen in a while and some I'm meeting for the first time. This time too, we've gathered an incredibly impressive lineup, so I hope you enjoy watching!"

◇ "I'm the Sports King of Tunnels!!" Cast (titles omitted)

Tunnels (Takaaki Ishibashi, Noritake Kinashi)

<Paris Olympic Medalists Gathering Special>

Kitaguchi Haruka (athletics), Abe Hifumi (judo), Tsunoda Natsumi (judo), Shida Chiharu & Matsuyama Nami (badminton), Watanabe Yuta & Higashino Arisa (badminton), Nagano Yudai (fencing), Miyawaki Karin (fencing), Oka Shinnosuke (gymnastics), Tamai Rikuto (diving), Harimoto Miwa (table tennis), Sato Daimune (modern pentathlon), Minobe Kazuyasu (commentary)

<Real Baseball BAN>

Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs), Masashi Kuwahara (Yokohama DeNA Baystars), Keita Sano (Yokohama DeNA Baystars), Toshiya Sato (Chiba Lotte Marines), Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima Toyo Carp), Golgo Matsumoto (TIM), Yuji Yoshioka, Fumihito Haraguchi, Kenji Sugiya

<Golf Showdown>

Hinako Shibuno, Yuka Sasao, Ayaka Furue, Sakura Koiwai, Haruka Kawasaki, Reo Takeda, Yutaka Mizutani, Shun Oguri, Motonobu Tanishige, Tomoya Satozaki, Golgo Matsumoto, Orakio, Laparfait Tsuru, GG Sato, Tomoaki Homma

<Soccer match>

Moriyasu Hajime (Japan national team manager), Miura Kazuyoshi (Atletico Suzuka), Yabe Hiroyuki (Ninety-Nine), Yoshida Maya (Los Angeles Galaxy), Higashiguchi Junaki (Gamba Osaka), Osako Keisuke (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Konno Yasuyuki (Nankatsu SC), Usami Takashi (Gamba Osaka), Gonda Shuichi, Nakayama Masashi, Fukuda Masahiro, Jo Shoji, Inamoto Junichi, Endo Yasuhito, Uchida Atsuto, Makino Tomoaki, Ito Atsushi, Roland, Tatsuya Fukazawa(Snow Man)