In the mid-1970s Yuko Arakida was part of the Japanese women’s volleyball team that won gold at multiple international tournaments. After graduating from high school Arakida joined Hitachi and soon rose through the ranks to join the national team. She was part of the team that saw double success in 1974, winning gold at both the Asian Games in Tehran and the World Championships in Mexico. Two years later Japan triumphed at the 1976 Montréal Olympics with a comprehensive victory against the Soviet Union in the final to win gold. The following year Arakida won another gold when Japan won the FIVB World Cup.
Following her retirement from the sport Arakida became a coach and a TV commentator. She then held high-profile positions in sports administration, including serving as the director of the Japan Volleyball Association and the director of the Japanese Olympic Committee. Her work with the latter saw her appointed as the sports director of the bid committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan