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Prime Minister Naoto Kan thanked the team members for bringing home the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in July and brightening the mood of the quake-stressed Japanese populace. He then presented the team with a certificate of commendation and a mounted medallion.
- European Pressphoto Agency
- Members of Nadeshiko Japan stand with Prime Minister Naoto Kan (front center) after receiving the National Honor Award in Tokyo on Aug. 18.
In a tradition that dates back to the creation of the award in 1977, the National Honor Award also comes with a supplemental prize. In the past, it has ranged from a Swiss watch to an artisan porcelain vase. But if the players, and their male coach, were hoping to decorate their wrists or apartments, they may have been disappointed with the choice this time around: a set of seven make-up brushes.
(...)But maybe not so useful in the day job of soccer players, better known for their ball control than their skill applying mascara. While the team’s nickname comes from a pink, frilly flower which is said to incorporate the ideals of Japanese womanhood, the team members are indifferent on the pitch to cosmetology, where sweaty brows, split ends and chafed lips come with the territory.
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After the ceremony at the Prime Minister’s residence, they attended a press conference at an Audi showroom in Tokyo where each of the 22 team members was handed the keys to a brand new Audi A1. The cars were provided by Audi under a free three-year lease, as part of a deal after the brand became a sponsor of the Japan Football Association in May—and before the Japanese women’s team was considered a true contender for the World Cup. The expressions of elation on the players’ faces were a study in contrast to their patient demeanor at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Notícia: blogs.wsj.com
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