author

 
 
 Jason Coskrey

Meta

Twitter

@JCoskrey

Jason Coskrey
Jason Coskrey is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His primary focus is Japanese baseball, but he has also covered soccer, American football, boxing and basketball. He previously worked for the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, Ga. A native of Detroit, he is a graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
French fans cheer on their team during an Olympic rugby sevens match on Sunday. Fans are back in force at the Games and providing a lively atmosphere for the competition after COVID-19 forced the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics to be mostly played without spectators.
OLYMPICS
Jul 29, 2024
The Olympic roar is back in Paris after two pandemic-hit Games
The sights and sounds of the Olympics have returned to normal this year, with fans able to attend the Games without restrictions for the first time since 2018.
Gold medalist Coco Yoshizawa and silver medalist Liz Akama celebrate after the women's skateboarding street competition at La Concorde in Paris on Sunday.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
Jul 28, 2024
Coco Yoshizawa skates to gold for Japan at Paris Olympics
Yoshizawa led after the preliminary round and threw down the highest-scoring trick of the afternoon to rally past teammate Liz Akama and win the gold medal.
Gold medalist Natsumi Tsunoda celebrates on the podium after she won the women's under 48-kg division at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 27, 2024
Dominant Natsumi Tsunoda delivers Japan's first gold medal at Paris Olympics
Tsunoda is the first Japanese woman to win gold in the under 48-kg division since Ryoko Tani at the 2004 Athens Games.
Ryuju Nagayama reacts after his quarterfinal bout against Spain's Francisco Garrigos at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 27, 2024
Ryuju Nagayama falls in controversial ruling in Paris but later earns bronze
Nagayama's quest for gold ended in the quarterfinals. 
Japan's 2024 Olympic team moves down the Seine River in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 27, 2024
Paris Olympics kick off with rain-soaked — but grandiose — opening ceremony
The sprawling opening ceremony delivered on the promise to send athletes down the River Seine and culminated in the stirring return of superstar singer Celine Dion.
Flavor Flav is at the Paris Games as the hype man for the U.S. water polo team.
OLYMPICS
Jul 26, 2024
Hip-hop legend Flavor Flav relishes role as hype man for U.S. water polo team
The rapper is using his fame to help support the U.S. team.
Passengers wait at Bordeaux-Saint-Jean station in Bordeaux, France, after the nation's high-speed rail network was disrupted by an attack on Friday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 26, 2024
Team Japan not impacted by French train attacks ahead of opening ceremony
The French railways system was hit by a series of attacks on Friday.
Rim Nakamura, who is attempting to win Japan's first Olympic gold medal in cycling, will be one of the top Japanese athletes to watch at the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS
Jul 26, 2024
The Japanese Olympians looking to shine in Paris
Team Japan is looking to build on the momentum from three years ago in Tokyo, where the nation earned a record medal haul.
American tennis star Coco Gauff speaks during a news conference on Thursday in Paris.
OLYMPICS / Tennis
Jul 26, 2024
Coco Gauff 'going in blind' as she prepares to carry U.S. flag in Paris
The world No. 2 tennis player will join NBA superstar LeBron James as the U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremony.
Norwegian and Australian players take part in a practice session ahead of the opening of the Paris Olympics at Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 25, 2024
After joyless silence in Tokyo, Paris is ready to get the Olympic party started
No COVID-19 testing, no bubbles and no more locking out the fans. Paris marks a return to normal for an event that, like many, was brought to its knees by the pandemic.
U.S. gymnastics superstar Simone Biles takes part in a training session in Le Bourget, France, on Monday.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jul 25, 2024
Biles targets 'redemption' as she reenters the spotlight at Paris Olympics
The U.S. gymnastics star is once again eyeing the top of the podium after she prioritized her mental health at the Tokyo Games.
New Zealand's Ngarohi McGarvey-Black tackles Japan's Kippei Ishida during their rugby sevens match at the Paris Olympics in Saint-Denis, France, on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS / Rugby
Jul 25, 2024
Japan falls to New Zealand on first day of rugby sevens tournament at Paris Olympics
Japan lost in a blowout in its opening game at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Mai Yamamoto drives to the basket during an Olympic tune-up game against New Zealand in Tokyo on July 4.
OLYMPICS / Basketball
Jul 22, 2024
Akatsuki Japan believes it can 'surprise the world' in Paris
Women's basketball team will be looking to replicate its inspiring Olympic run in Tokyo and make waves in Paris.
France's Sarah Leonie Cysique battles Uzbekistan's Shukurjon Aminova at the Paris Grand Slam at Accor Arena on Feb. 2.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 18, 2024
How France embraced judo and became a martial arts powerhouse
The country has embraced the Japanese martial art to the point where it may be more popular in France than in Japan.
Asami Yoshida (center) practices with Japan at the National Training Center in Tokyo in January.
OLYMPICS / Basketball
Jul 8, 2024
Asami Yoshida bringing experience and swagger to Akatsuki Japan for Paris Olympics
The veteran point guard was Japan's captain at the 2016 Olympics.
Fencer Misaki Emura (left) and breaker Shigekix, whose real name is Shigeyuki Nakarai, during a send-off ceremony in Tokyo on Friday
OLYMPICS
Jul 5, 2024
Japanese athletes get rousing send-off ahead of Paris Olympics
Three years after hosting the Tokyo Olympics, Japan is preparing to send almost 400 athletes to the Games in the French capital.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura will be a key part of Japan's Olympic ambitions this summer.
BASKETBALL
Jul 1, 2024
Japan’s basketball stars set sights on glory at Paris Games
Some think Akatsuki Japan is sending the best team it has ever assembled to the Olympics.
NBA legend Ray Allen high-fives children during a basketball clinic in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Saturday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 15, 2024
Former Celtics great Ray Allen says 'distractions' played role in Game 4 blowout
The two-time NBA champion, who ran a basketball clinic for children in Tokyo on Saturday, also stressed that learning defense is key for developing young players.
Australian-born Connor O'Leary will represent Japan in the surfing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Surfing
Jun 11, 2024
At Paris Games, Connor O’Leary aims to win and inspire
The waves in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, may bode well for the goofy-footed surfer.
Kazuto Takesako will open his Prizefighter campaign against British boxer Mark Dickinson in Osaka on July 15.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jun 3, 2024
$1 million purse on offer at revived Prizefighter event in Osaka
Eight fighters will get their first chance to punch their way to a big payday in Osaka on July 15.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?