Hakuba-born freestyle skier Ruya Ito is aiming to become the first Japanese to win a medal in the slopestyle event at the next 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics
We are currently conducting a crowdfunding campaign to achieve our goal
Ito is currently 19 years old. Influenced by his parents, he became fascinated with freestyle skiing from an early age and has been competing for 10 years. He is ranked 4th in Japan and practices bug jumping in the summer and in the winter in Hakuba and Okumino, which offer some of the best training environments in Japan
He trains hard every day and his top priority is to hone his skills. However, there are also financial challenges to competing in the Olympics. Freestyle skiing is a sport that originated overseas, and the training environment is better at ski resorts in Europe and the United States. To practice in the best possible location, it is preferable to practice overseas. Furthermore, competing in a competition requires financial resources, including travel expenses, accommodation, and living expenses. Until now, he has traveled overseas to train using funds earned from part-time work, but there are limits to what he can do if he is aiming to win a medal at the Olympics
That's why we decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign
Support is available at this link
We, the people who love skiing, want to support the dreams of this young 19-year-old rising star