Date : September 1, 2022
Ms. Yoshimi Yamashita, One of the First Women Referees for Men’s World Cup Soccer: Passion for the Qatar Games (Ms. Yoshimi Yamashita, International Football Referee)
post date : 2022.08.19
©JFA/PR
At the FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in Qatar starting on November 20, for the first time in World Cup history women have been selected to referee men’s matches. A total of 36 referees have been given the honor of judging the game as it is played at its highest level, with 3 of those 36 being women. One of those three women is Ms. Yoshimi Yamashita, an international referee.
Ms. Yamashita has been active in Japanese professional soccer leagues including the J.League, as well as officiating at international tournaments, including women’s World Cup and Asian Champions League organized by the Asian Football Confederation. On August 1 this year, she was the first woman to sign a professional referee contract with the Japan Football Association.
The FPCJ has invited her, as a pioneering referee, to speak about her experiences, the difficulties she has faced, her feelings on blowing the whistle at the World Cup, her hopes for soccer in Japan, and her thoughts as a professional woman in Japan, which is behind the rest of the world in gender equality.
■Please note that you cannot physically attend this briefing, as it will be a Zoom webinar.
■Date: September 1 (Thu), 2022, 14:00-15:00
(Deadline for application: Noon, Wednesday, August 31)
■Theme: Ms. Yoshimi Yamashita, One of the First Women Referees for Men’s World Cup Soccer: Passion for the Qatar Games
■Briefer: Ms. Yoshimi Yamashita, International Football Referee
■Language: Japanese, with consecutive English interpretation
As in our standard press briefings, there will be a Q&A session at the end.
*In principle, questions will only be accepted from members of the foreign press.
■Members of the Foreign Press:
Please send any questions for the briefer or topics you are interested in to cp@fpcjpn.or.jp by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, August 30.
As there will only be a limited amount of time to ask questions during the briefing, we will collect questions and provide them to the briefer in advance.
Embassy representatives and FPCJ supporting members may also watch the briefing as observers (admission free).
■How to Apply: Please refer to the email we sent.
*We will not be accepting applications by email.