JOC Criticizes Ceremony for Ski Jumper Ren Nikaido’s 15 Million Yen Reward as An Abnormal Situation
Reward money was 15 million yen
At the reward ceremony where ¥15 million was presented to ski jumper Ren Nikaido, the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) unusually scolded the event.
At the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, where Japan celebrated a record 24 medals, ski jumper Ren Nikaido (24) delivered three exhilarating moments during the Games. Even Nihon Beer Co., Ltd — a company not typically associated with hosting winter Olympians — drew significant attention, generously awarding Nikaido a ¥15 million bonus. Many media outlets gathered for the presentation, and the event was widely reported. However, some of those articles have since disappeared. What exactly happened?
After winning bronze in the men’s individual normal hill, Nikaido also took bronze in the mixed team event and silver in the large hill. Although he led after the first jump in the large hill and showed visible disappointment after the competition, he executed an impressive flight in his first Olympics.
His father, Manabu, also competed at the World Championships in the same sport. After high school, Ren struggled to find a sponsor and even dropped out of Tokai University in March 2021 to focus on training, earning money by working part‑time in rice planting among other jobs.
“At that time, Nihon Beer stepped forward to support him. Their ski club had just been established in May 2022, but President Shigeru Uchida — himself a national‑level alpine skier — had supported the skiing world in various ways. They even brought in the legendary Chiharu Igtani — the first Japanese Winter Olympic medalist — as an advisor, helping nurture Nikaido’s growth as their first sponsored athlete. I’m sure President Uchida was especially delighted,” said a sports writer.
The press release for the ceremony on February 24 was issued the night before.
“Even so, TV, newspapers, and many outlets gathered to deliver bright news about one of this Games’ heroes. The sudden timing was because Nikaido had to leave Japan immediately to compete in the World Cup Men’s Individual #21 in Bischofshofen, Austria, and that was the only day he could do it.
Nikaido expressed his gratitude to Nihon Beer and joked about how he might use the rewards from the JOC and the Ski Federation, saying, ‘I’m thinking of buying land around Sapporo soon, considering life after competition,’ adding to the warm mood,” an Olympics correspondent said.
The ceremony was quickly reported in evening TV newscasts and online news.
I want you to take down the article.”
“On the very night of the ceremony, Nihon Beer reportedly contacted each media outlet, asking them to retract their articles. They were profusely apologetic, and when we asked, we were told that the JOC had scolded them,” said the same sports writer.
The issue was ambush marketing, as defined by the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
“Simply put, it’s unauthorized commercial exploitation. Companies that are not official Olympic sponsors are not allowed to use the Olympic logo or make it appear as if they are associated with the Games in order to gain profit.
During the Tokyo Olympics, for example, the governor of Mie Prefecture, who was preparing for the National Sports Festival, was warned by the organizing committee to remove PR badges when attending Olympic-related events. The JOC monitors these matters very strictly.
In other words, Nikaido’s reward ceremony on February 25 should not have taken place until after the Japanese delegation’s closing ceremony, and it seems Nihon Beer was unaware of this rule. By contrast, articles about figure skating pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won gold, receiving ¥20 million each from their sponsor Kinoshita Group on February 26, the day after the closing ceremony, are still visible online.
It’s true that Nihon Beer made a mistake, and it’s understandable that the JOC would protect the rights of official sponsors. But to see such a large difference caused by just a two-day timing gap.” the writer continued.
Despite having to miss the World Cup in Bad Mitterndorf due to flight issues and being stranded in Dubai because of an American and Israeli attack on Iran affecting his flight route, Nikaido remains undeterred, even wishing for world peace.
We look forward to seeing him continue to make big jumps and gain more media exposure.
PHOTO： Kyodo News