Obituary of Yasutaka Matsudaira

Yasutaka Matsudaira died with pulmonary emphysema at December 31st 2011.

If you are not Japanese but you know him, you must be a maniac volleyball fan.

He was the chairman of the Japan Volleyball Association.

He was the head coach of the Japan Volleyball Team at the Olympics in Mexico 1968 and in Munich 1972.

Japan team got the silver medal in Mexico and the gold medal in Munich.

This gold medal is now still the only one gold medal that Japanese team sports have had in Olympics. (Japanese baseball team got a gold medal in Los Angeles Olympic in 1984, but that was a demonstration event.)

Seiji Oko was an ace attacker in Munich Olympic.

Oko was the head coach in Suntory Sunbirds when I started to play in there.

So Matusdaira was alike my grandfather.

He was really strict and I was always nervous in front of him though.

He announced, "We get the gold medal in 8 years," right after Tokyo Olympic in 1964 and accomplished.

He started some unique trainings (e.g. walk on hands).

He started to use "Time lag attack".

Because he worked that Japan contributes spreading volleyball to countries all over the world, World Cups are done in Japan forever since 1977.

Thank you Mr. Yasutaka Matsudaira.

R.I.P.

Document Anime "Road to Munich"