Japanese hockey team cleans up dressing room at Asian Champions Trophy

Japan’s men’s hockey team didn’t get the outcome they desired against Malaysia at the Asian Champions Trophy. A 3-1 loss meant they are fifth in the standings and not in contention to make the next stage of the competition where the top-four will play the semi-finals. The fifth and sixth teams will fill up the classification spots. Off the pitch, though, they remained the classy contingent by cleaning up the dressing room after themselves in Chennai. Last year at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Japanese football team and fans had gone viral for cleaning the locker room and the stands respectively. The fans had stayed behind to tidy up the Khalifa International Stadium after their game against Germany. Additionally, the football team had left a thank you note for the organisers with a few origami cranes.

How the Japanese leave their dressing room after every match. Sparkling Clean ✨️ #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HACT2023 pic.twitter.com/MzrZd6z0ae

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 7, 2023

A video shared by Hockey India showed a member of the Japanese contingent taking the trash out in a plastic bat after the defeat to Malaysia. On the pitch, though, Malaysia progressed to the semi-finals with goals from Najmi Jazlan, Ashran Hamsani and Shello Silverius. For Japan, Niwan Takuma scored the solitary goal as a consolation.