Yoko Zetterlund, who helped the United States women's volleyball team earn the bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, has joined the Japan American Football Association as a director, JAFA announced on Sunday in Tokyo.
Zetterlund becomes JAFA's first female director, after the association modified its rules to stipulate that at least 10 percent of all directors should be female. JAFA currently has 20 directors including Zetterlund and will add at least one more woman as soon as possible.
"I have kept gathering information relating to Nihon University's illegal tackle issue," said Zetterlund, who was offered the position before the incident happened last month. "I'm also a director of the Japan Sport Association and the chairperson of the committee to develop coaches. I think I can help the JAFA with my experience. Our goal is to completely get rid of harassment and violence from sports in this country."
Zetterlund, a San Francisco native, moved to Japan when she was six years old. She went back to the U.S. in 1991 and made the volleyball national team through a tryout. She also played at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
