Teams representing Knockü SC have won both the four-a-side and six-a-side titles at the 22nd edition of the Japan Wheelchair Handball National Championships held at the end of 2024.

The two-day event was held at the Hanamaki City General Gymnasium in the city of Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, just under 500km north of capital city Tokyo.

In total, 12 teams competed in the four-a-side event and three in the six-a-side. Knockü SC overcame LBH 2-0 (13:1, 15:5) in the six-a-side version, while APES-E were beaten 19-4 (10:5, 9:9) by Knockü SC in the four-a-side version, LBH grabbing bronze. A friendly tournament also took place alongside the two competitions.

Increased competitiveness

“We had six players who played in the recent IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championships in Egypt so had a feeling we could win the national championships,” said Miya Okada, founder of Knockü SC to ihf.info.

“We were also expected to focus on how we won but we were able to achieve victory by paying close attention to those details. The key to success was making adjustments after each match and having the skill to execute them. Although we lost the first game due to not adapting well to the referees, we managed to make the necessary adjustments in the final match, which led to our victory. Additionally, finding a way to break the opponent’s strategy and fully committing to it was a significant factor in our win.

“None of the games were easy wins and the tactics amongst all the teams have advanced significantly in recent years,” she added. “Every team has developed strategies to counter the skills of our team”.

Knockü SC part of a wider movement

Based out of Shinjuku City in Tokyo, Knockü SC (Sports Club) was formed as part of a wider ‘…general incorporated association that operates parasports events and communities in which people with and without disabilities can participate together, mainly in the greater Tokyo area, including Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures, and runs education and training programmes through parasports’, according to their website: www.knocku.info.

Knockü SC started activities in November 2020, with Wheelchair Handball featuring as the main sport. Since then, the number of participants has increased annually, with well over 2,000 individuals participating in a wide range of activities, all with the aim of creating a ‘small symbiotic society’ where people with and without disabilities naturally support each other, connect and work together.

“I wanted to created a new, competitive Wheelchair Handball team in Tokyo using my network,” explained Okada about setting up the club.

“I was a Handball player and used to work with a Wheelchair Basketball team before, so I had a network of Wheelchair Basketball players, especially those who were former Handball players – one example is Morooka Shinnosuke. I've known him since we were High School students; he was a Handball player from Tokyo and I was a Handball player from Kanagawa.

“He became disabled when he was a university student and started playing Wheelchair Basketball in Tokyo. Meanwhile, I began working on the staff of a Wheelchair Basketball team in Tokyo when I was a Masters student. We met again through Wheelchair Basketball and now he is a Wheelchair Handball player, finishing as second top-scorer at the 2024 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championships.”

That success comes with hard work and dedication from Okada and a wider team of volunteers, combined with some subsidies from foundations (including Nike), kits from shops and funding from companies, and with such success early on in the association, hopes are high for the future.

“We hope more players join our teams and that we can get more sponsors,” says Okada. “And in the future, we hope to go on an overseas tour”.

22nd Japan Wheelchair Handball National Championships: final results, rankings and teams

Four-a-side competition

Final/Gold: Knockü SC vs LBH 2-0 (13:1, 15:5)

Final Ranking
1 Knockü SC (Tokyo)
2 LBH (Siga)
3 Russell Galaxy Fighters (Iwate)

All-star Team
MVP (Men): Koya Moriya (Knockü SC)
MVP (Women): Agina Oishi (LBH)
Top-scorer: Morooka Shinnosuke (Knockü SC)

Six-a-side competition

3/4 Placement/Bronze: LBH vs Swallows 19-15 (11:8, 8:7)
Final/Gold: Knockü SC vs APES-E 19-4 (10:5, 9:9)

Final Ranking
1 Knockü SC (Tokyo)
2 APES-E (Osaka)
3 LBH (Siga)

All-star Team
MVP (Men): Yuya Ito (Knockü SC)
MVP (Women): Takano Yuna (APES-E)
Top-scorer: Morooka Shinnosuke (Knockü SC)

Teams Competing
Acro (Kyoto)
APES-A (Osaka – University of Health and Sport Sciences)
APES-E (Osaka – University of Health and Sport Sciences)
APES-P (Osaka – University of Health and Sport Sciences)
B-Loup (Shiga)
Dreamers (Kyoto)
Flower-Roll-Chans (Iwate)
Knockü SC (Tokyo)
LBH (Siga)
Miyagi Phoenix (Miyagi)
Russell Galaxy Fighters (Iwate)
Swallows (Osaka)

Games can be watched again on the Japan Wheelchair Handball Federation YouTube channel HERE. 

More information on the Japan Wheelchair Handball Federation can be found on their website.

Photos: HB Photo