Shoma Uno Joins E-sports Team, Crosses Over into Figure Skating "Two-Way Player"
Japanese figure skating star Shoma Uno has announced his entry into the e-sports team VARREL, operated by Japanese e-sports company CELLORB, becoming a "two-way player" in both figure skating and e-sports. He will continue his professional skating career while embarking on a new challenge in e-sports after retiring from competitive skating in May 2024.
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- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 16:28
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Tokyo, May 1, comprehensive foreign report) Japanese figure skating sensation Shoma Uno, a two-time Olympic medalist, made a major announcement today: he is joining VARREL, a team operated by Japanese e-sports company CELLORB, declaring himself an alternative "two-way player" in both figure skating and e-sports.
Japanese media outlet Sponichi Annex reported that the international fighting game tournament EVO Japan 2026 begins today at the "Tokyo International Exhibition Center," and Uno will wear the VARREL uniform to challenge the event for the first time.
VARREL held a press conference in Tokyo today, where Uno, wearing his team uniform, stated, "Until yesterday, I was Shoma Uno, active as an unemployed gamer, but starting today, I hope to be active as an official player affiliated with VARREL."
He revealed that after retiring in May 2024, he deeply felt that "the famous person named Shoma Uno is a limited existence... this will not be passed down forever; if I don't continue it myself, it will disappear. I am not satisfied with my current fame and status, and I deeply realized that if I don't forge my own path, I will eventually be forgotten."
Uno mentioned that when he was planning to expand his activities, he met his current team, and "from our conversations, I felt that VARREL truly wanted to grow with me." Reflecting on his skating career, he said, "Many people have better skating skills than me, but I became world-class simply because my passion was stronger than anyone else's."
Uno believes he felt a shared passion with VARREL, which led him to join them. He also stated that he will continue his figure skating activities.
The report noted that Uno has long been known for his love of video games. He once openly admitted on a TV program, "I hope everyone doesn't follow my example; my diet control, sleep time, and life's focus are not figure skating but games," and revealed that during his competitive days as a skater, he was also very enthusiastic about games.
He stated that on the day he won a silver medal in the individual event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, "After the competition, I returned to the hotel around 11 PM to 12 AM and started playing games," revealing that his lack of sleep the next day was due to gaming.
Uno is currently 28 years old, born on December 17, 1997, in Nagoya City. He started skating at age 5 and won a gold medal in the individual event at the 2015 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
After turning professional, he achieved brilliant results, winning a silver medal in the individual event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a bronze medal in the individual event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and completing a two-time consecutive championship at the World Figure Skating Championships (Worlds) in 2022 and 2023.
Furthermore, in April 2016, he received certification from the International Skating Union (ISU), becoming the first athlete in history to successfully land a quadruple flip jump in competition.
He later announced his retirement from competitive skating in May 2024, then transitioned to a professional figure skater. (Compiled by Yang Wei-ching) 1150501
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(Central News Agency, Tokyo, May 1, comprehensive foreign report) Japanese figure skating sensation Shoma Uno, a two-time Olympic medalist, made a major announcement today: he is joining VARREL, a team operated by Japanese e-sports company CELLORB, declaring himself an alternative "two-way player" in both figure skating and e-sports.
Japanese media outlet Sponichi Annex reported that the international fighting game tournament EVO Japan 2026 begins today at the "Tokyo International Exhibition Center," and Uno will wear the VARREL uniform to challenge the event for the first time.
VARREL held a press conference in Tokyo today, where Uno, wearing his team uniform, stated, "Until yesterday, I was Shoma Uno, active as an unemployed gamer, but starting today, I hope to be active as an official player affiliated with VARREL."
He revealed that after retiring in May 2024, he deeply felt that "the famous person named Shoma Uno is a limited existence... this will not be passed down forever; if I don't continue it myself, it will disappear. I am not satisfied with my current fame and status, and I deeply realized that if I don't forge my own path, I will eventually be forgotten."
Uno mentioned that when he was planning to expand his activities, he met his current team, and "from our conversations, I felt that VARREL truly wanted to grow with me." Reflecting on his skating career, he said, "Many people have better skating skills than me, but I became world-class simply because my passion was stronger than anyone else's."
Uno believes he felt a shared passion with VARREL, which led him to join them. He also stated that he will continue his figure skating activities.
The report noted that Uno has long been known for his love of video games. He once openly admitted on a TV program, "I hope everyone doesn't follow my example; my diet control, sleep time, and life's focus are not figure skating but games," and revealed that during his competitive days as a skater, he was also very enthusiastic about games.
He stated that on the day he won a silver medal in the individual event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, "After the competition, I returned to the hotel around 11 PM to 12 AM and started playing games," revealing that his lack of sleep the next day was due to gaming.
Uno is currently 28 years old, born on December 17, 1997, in Nagoya City. He started skating at age 5 and won a gold medal in the individual event at the 2015 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
After turning professional, he achieved brilliant results, winning a silver medal in the individual event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a bronze medal in the individual event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and completing a two-time consecutive championship at the World Figure Skating Championships (Worlds) in 2022 and 2023.
Furthermore, in April 2016, he received certification from the International Skating Union (ISU), becoming the first athlete in history to successfully land a quadruple flip jump in competition.
He later announced his retirement from competitive skating in May 2024, then transitioned to a professional figure skater. (Compiled by Yang Wei-ching) 1150501
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
No unauthorized reproduction, public broadcast, public transmission, or use of the text, images, and audio/video on this website.