Cisco Systems G.K. (Cisco in Japan) announced today that it has entered into an athlete ambassador agreement with world-class Japanese table tennis players and Tokyo 2020 Olympic hopefuls Kasumi Ishikawa and Tomokazu Harimoto. Cisco will provide its latest technology to support these two major table tennis players, while also striving for further innovation within the sport and the Japan sports community.

As a first step, Cisco is providing the athletes with Cisco Spark™ and other collaboration technologies to drive more effective communication between them, their coaches, and their support teams. Wherever the athletes are, they will be able to share match footage and data in real time with industry-leading security; whiteboard to create and evaluate strategy; or meet, call, and message seamlessly.

Beyond collaboration, Cisco is beginning to work with Data Stadium, which collects, analyzes, and delivers a wide variety of sports data for other professional sports leagues in Japan, to create innovative solutions that address the challenges and needs of these athletes with regard to competition, training and skill development.

In Japan, Cisco's vision for the year and beyond is "All Connected. Anything Possible," with an aim towards contributing to digital innovation in Japan through the power of networking. With regard to the sports industry, Cisco solutions are enhancing the fan experience in stadiums by making it more connected (Cisco Connected Stadium™ high-density Wi-Fi), immersive (Cisco Vision® video displays), and customized and personalized through data and analytics.

Kasumi Ishikawa

"I look forward to integrating the latest technology into my training and daily life. I am glad to see brands like Cisco taking an interest in the sport of table tennis, and I am eager to help bring table tennis to new heights across Japan. I could not be more grateful to Cisco or more excited about its support and partnership." 

Tomokazu Harimoto

"As I am often out of Japan for training and competitions, having a network is important for staying in touch with my family, coach, and fans. I am excited that the global network IT company Cisco is supporting me as an athlete. I will work hard both as an athlete and as a student toward my next goal of becoming one of the top ten table tennis players in the world and a star athlete in Japan."

Miyuki Suzuki, President and General Manager, Cisco Systems G.K.

"Cisco is proud to be able to demonstrate the importance of its network technology to the sports industry as a whole through its support of world-class athletes Kasumi Ishikawa and Tomokazu Harimoto. We are committed to working as a trusted partner in accelerating digital innovation in Japan and in showcasing the enormous possibilities that open up when everything is connected securely."

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