Isao Kataoka ( ja, 片岡勲; 12 July 1936 – 9 December 2015) was a Japanese ice hockey administrator. He served as the executive director and the vice-president of the Japan Ice Hockey Federation and was president of the Hokkaido Ice Hockey Federation. He worked with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in the planning and hosting of its tournaments in Japan, including the

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...

and the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

. He received the Paul Loicq Award in 2001 for contributions to the IIHF and promoting international ice hockey.

Early life

Kataoka was born 12 July 1936 in Hokkaido. He attended Chuo University in Tokyo.

Career

Kataoka embarked on a career in ice hockey after graduating university and made Sapporo his hometown. His various administrative roles included serving as the executive director and the vice-president of the Japan Ice Hockey Federation and as president of the Hokkaido Ice Hockey Federation. He played an integral role in the planning and execution of International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournaments hosted in Japan. During his time with the Japan Ice Hockey Federation, the country hosted the

in Sapporo and the

in Nagano. The IIHF credited Kataoka's "experience and knowledge of the game of ice hockey" for his effective management of these events, as well as his attention to detail in preparing facilities for the participants. The IIHF further stated that "Kataoka's enthusiasm and aspiring attitude in the development of ice hockey administrators and officials of the next generation was greatly appreciated and respected by the ice hockey family in and outside of Japan". In 2001 Kataoka received the Paul Loicq Award for contributions to the IIHF and promoting international ice hockey. He became the first Japanese person to receive the award, and the only Japanese recipient as of 2019. He remained involved with Japanese international sports and served as the

head of mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permane ...

for the Japanese delegation at the

2005 Winter Universiade The 2005 Winter Universiade, the XXII Winter Universiade, took place in Innsbruck and Seefeld, Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

Later life

Kataoka served as an advisor to the Japanese Ice Hockey Federation. After the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

devastated areas in the

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

region of Japan, he was part of the ceremonies to remember the disaster. Donations were collected during the 2012 Japan ice hockey championships, and he presented the funds raised to the Sendai Lady Rabbits team. Kataoka died on 9 December 2015 at age 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kataoka, Isao 1936 births 2015 deaths Chuo University alumni International Ice Hockey Federation executives Japanese ice hockey administrators Paul Loicq Award recipients Sportspeople from Sapporo