THE Ryukyu Golden Kings on Wednesday night once again exemplified a Japanese value that has become well-known and admired all over the world.
The Japanese team left its dugout at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum without any trace of trash, the chairs and tables neatly arranged after the B.League squad beat Meralco, 88-79, to advance to the playoff round of the EASL.
READ Ryukyu Golden Kings slam EASL playoff door on Meralco
A staff of the Big Dome swore to SPIN.ph that Wednesday was one of the rare times that they did little cleaning in one at the locker rooms of the historic Cubao venue after an event.
“Sila ang naglinis,” said the staff, referring to the Golden Kings, winners of the 2022-23 B.League first division crown and finalists over the last four seasons.
The Okinawa-based squad, coached by Dai Oketani, is also the former ballclub of Gilas Pilipinas standout Carl Tamayo and ex-Meralco import Allen Durham.
Similar cases involving Japanese teams are nothing new.
During the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the Japan left their dugout spotless even after a heartbreaking defeat tot Belgium, 3-2, in the knockout round, even leaving a “Thank you” note in Russian.
The same occurred in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after Japan won over Germany, 2-1, inspiring fans to do the same in the stands of the Khalifa International Stadium.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
