Mao Asada to Launch Figure Skating School

   Tokyo, June 12 (Jiji Press)--Japanese figure skating icon Mao Asada, a former world champion, said Thursday that she will open an academy in Tokyo to nurture the next generation of figure skaters.
   The school, "Kinoshita Mao Academy," will train around 10 children aged between 5 and 9 at a skating rink produced by Asada, 34, in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo. It is scheduled to open on Aug. 1.
   "I will instruct each skater carefully, " Asada said at a press conference in Tokyo, expressing her eagerness to take her first steps as a coach.
   Asada said she will refrain from professional figure skating activities for the time being to focus on coaching children.
   "I want to nurture world-class figure skaters," Asada said, adding that one of her dreams is to train figure skaters who can qualify for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

(2025/06/12-18:53)