At “H.C.R.2025 The 52nd International Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition & Forum” held from Wednesday, October 8 to Friday, October 10, ePARA representative Daiki Kato and blind esports player NAOYA took the stage for a talk show on the theme “Barrier-free esports today: people with disabilities active on the world stage,” and introduced “ePARA × Saudi Vision 2030.”
Related article: Operated an esports experience booth at “H.C.R.2025 The 52nd International Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition & Forum” from October 8 to 10
The talk show was held on Friday, October 10, as part of “Positive Radio HCR” on the Atrium Stage. In addition to introducing ePARA’s philosophy and initiatives, it also highlighted the achievements of NAOYA, who is active in a wide range of fields—not only as an esports player, but also as a voice actor and narrator, through proposals to improve the accessibility of games and corporate web pages, and in his role as head of “ePARA Voice,” an audio service provided by people with visual impairments.
Lastly, under the title “Taking Barrier-Free Esports Worldwide,” they introduced “ePARA × Saudi Vision 2030,” an initiative to promote barrier-free esports in Saudi Arabia. The initiative is being implemented under two FY2025 subsidy programs administered by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: the “Subsidy for Project Costs for Petroleum Refining Technology and Related Measures in Oil-Producing Countries” and the “Subsidy for Project Costs for Support for Decarbonization and Energy Transition Technology and Related Measures in Resource-Rich Countries.” Following the signing of an MOU with “Hawk Gaming Group,” whose Chairman and CEO is Prince Turki Faisal, and the initiative’s presentation at the “Japan-Saudi EXPO Investment Forum” held at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai venue, the project will now move into full-scale implementation.
In the talk, Representative Kato said, “I hope to establish barrier-free esports in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the center of the world’s esports scene, and make that a catalyst for it to spread around the world,” and added, “Together with Saudi Arabia, which is working toward the realization of Vision 2030, I want to achieve ePARA’s vision,” expressing his enthusiasm.
Related article: Signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Saudi Arabia’s Hawk Gaming Group
