Sakura Kokumai

A Hawaii-born Japanese American, Sakura will share her story of overcoming adversity and discrimination as an outsider in the US as an Asian athlete and as an American in Japan. Isn't fighting the perception of being an outsider what most of us are facing and struggling with on a daily basis? In journalism, in sports and in business, we have to do more and better to prove ourselves because of color of our skin, accents or origins. Sakura has come a long way and continues to fight against discrimination and reverse discrimination on her path to Olympic glory. A self taught Karate master who's training now without a coach, Sakura still managed to win the gold medal in the women's individual kata event at the 2019 Pan American Games. This is a unique story of overachievement and resilience.

Winning isn’t everything – it’s the only thing! This panel will draw insights from traditional sports editors and a new breed of reporters covering esports, which has evolved from a hobby to an lucrative industry with millions of global fans. Panelists including major esports developers and industry players will share how mainstream sports and esports converge to give rise to a new way of competing.