Masayuki Haga

Started: He took up the sport in 2006 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. (sanspo.com, 26 Sep 2019) Reason: He watched a wheelchair rugby training session and was fascinated by how aggressive it was. "Once while I was in hospital, my physiotherapist wrote an apology letter after I fell out of my wheelchair. At that time I felt that I should have been more cautious. However, when I watched wheelchair rugby for the first time it was shocking to see that they fell over a lot and made fun of one another." (chiba-jonetsu-athlete.com, 24 Sep 2018; sports.nhk.or.jp, 31 Jul 2018; Athlete, 04 Sep 2016) Awards: In 2016 he was given the Matsudo Citizen Honorary Award in Japan. (city.matsudo.chiba.jp, 12 Dec 2016) In 2015 he was presented with an Excellent Performance Award by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. (smk.co.jp, 21 Jul 2015) In 2008 and 2014 he received the Best Player award in the 2.0 class at the Japan national championship. (pref.chiba.lg.jp, 28 Jan 2019; smk.co.jp, 08 Apr 2014)

Sporting Relatives: His wife Maiko Kuge has worked as a television presenter in Japan. (Maiko Kuge's Instagram profile, 17 Sep 2021; centforce.com, 01 Apr 2022)