Mizuno, a Japanese sportswear behemoth, has just entered the world of cryptocurrency by releasing its first line of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This makes Mizuno the latest sportswear company to join the industry.
The company Mizuno announced that it has introduced three sets of tokens, one for each of the sports that it specializes in, in a press statement that was sent by the company. The NFTs are now available for purchase on the OpenSea platform, where an auction will take place on the Ethereum network to determine who gets them.
The firm is recognized as one of the most important judo gi producers in the world. It has supplied the national judo teams of Japan, the United States of America, Brazil, and France with competitive apparel.
The company claimed that it had commissioned a digital artist by the name of Ryokke Draw to produce artworks that included images of many champion judoka from Japan. Among them are the men’s champions Naohisa Takafuji and Hifumi Abe, as well as the women’s 78-kilogram gold medalist Naori Hamada, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics.
Ryokke Draw has previously worked with firms like ESPN on mixed martial arts (MMA)-related digital art.
Outside the world of martial arts, Mizuno is mainly known as a manufacturer of running and soccer (football) footwear. The company is one of the main sponsors of the Osaka Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label race, and one of Japan’s most significant sporting events.
The company’s running-themed NFTs comprise seven unique commemorative Osaka Marathon-themed Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro running shoes – one in each color of the rainbow. Each NFT can be redeemed for “actual shoes in the same design.”
The company wrote that the “actual” shoes would be the “only” ones of their kind “in the world.”
The firm has also launched three redeemable NFT soccer (football) boots in its Mizuno Alpha range.
Compiled by Coinbold
