On Friday, June 30, in Tokyo, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) hosted an awards ceremony for the 2022 JOC Sports Awards, where JFA Class-1 referee, and FIFA referee YAMASHITA Yoshimi received the “Women and Sports Award.”

The award was established in 2014 and is presented to individuals or organisations that have made an exceptional contribution to the empowerment of women in sports and the promotion of women's involvement in sports.

Yamashita received the award in recognition of her pioneering work in empowering women in sports, including her appointment to become the first ever female referee at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. She was also recognised for her work in promoting football and drawing attention to the position of “referee” through various media outlets.

Comment

YAMASHITA Yoshimi, Football Class-1 Referee/FIFA referee
I am very honoured to receive this wonderful award. I have put a lot of effort into making sure that referees play a crucial part in supporting football and other sports, therefore I am thrilled that my efforts have been recognised. I will continue to give my best in each and every match in the hopes that women will continue to be given the opportunity to play the active roles they deserve and that more opportunities will be created for them.