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Writer's pictureMark Pickering

Japan Olympian turned referee Ano Kuwai to officiate in League One

Japan’s history-making Rio 2016 sevens Olympian Ano Kuwai has been selected to referee in League One for the first time.

Hokkaido native Kuwai, 35, became the first Japanese rugby player to score a try at an Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and returned to the same stage as a referee this year at Paris 2024.

The 2018 Asian Games gold medallist retired in 2021 and was identified by the Japan Rugby Football Union as someone capable of making an accelerated transition from being an international player to being a top-class referee.  

Kuwai took charge of Secom v Regulions last weekend

Kuwai worked as a touch judge in League One last year and after becoming the first person to grace an Olympics as a rugby player and then a referee, has deservedly been selected as one of 14 officials to take charge of professional club games next season.

The pioneering Chukyo University graduate took charge of Secom Rugguts’ 43 – 36 win over division three rivals Chugoku Red Regulions on Saturday in Saitama.

League One's fourth season kicks off on Saturday 21 December.

NTT Japan Rugby League One 2024-25 Panel Referees (14 in total):

Ano Kuwai Number of League One matches refereed to date: 0 Teruki Inanishi Number of League One matches refereed to date: 0

Sota Ouchi Number of League One matches refereed to date: 13

Teruhisa Kajiwara Number of League One matches refereed to date: 80

Kawahara Tasuku Number of League One matches refereed to date: 46

Kondo Masaki Number of League One matches refereed to date: 4

Toshimasa Sekiya Number of League One matches refereed to date: 39

Ibuki Tezuka Number of League One matches refereed to date: 28

Takehito Namekawa Number of League One matches refereed to date: 44

Tetsuya Hirakawa Number of League One matches refereed to date: 26

Ryoji Hirose Number of League One matches refereed to date: 11

Furuse Katsuki Number of League One matches refereed to date: 41

Motonori Mizutani Number of League One matches refereed to date: 8

Kouki Yamauchi Number of League One matches refereed to date: 20

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