Appointment Recognizes Leifras' Experience and Expertise in Community Collaboration Through the Employment of Former Professional Athletes and the Transition of School Club Activities to Community-Based Programs

TOKYO, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) (the "Company" or "Leifras"), a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement, and a leading operator of children's sports schools and school club activity support businesses in Japan, today announced that Mr. Mitsuharu Yazawa, Director and Head of the Corporate Management Division, had been appointed to an expert committee associated with the Japan Sports Agency's commissioned project to support athletes' contributions to society (the "Expert Committee").

The Expert Committee was established to conduct research and analysis on organizational practices that help athletes succeed in corporate roles after retiring from competitive sports. Drawing on Leifras' longstanding experience in supporting former athletes' post-competition careers and its expertise in transitioning school club activities to community-based programs, Mr. Yazawa was recommended and selected as a corporate-sector expert with a focus on community collaboration.

Appointment Overview

Committee: Expert Committee for the "Study on the Professional Activities of Sports Personnel," part of the Japan Sports Agency's Fiscal Year 2026 project to support athletes' contributions to society.

Term: August 18, 2026–March 18, 2027.

Principal Responsibilities: Research design, analysis, and interpretation for the study, as well as recommendations concerning athletes' post-competition career development and community collaboration.

Social Context: The Growing Challenge of Athletes' Post-Competition Careers

Building a career after retirement from competitive sports has long been a significant challenge within Japan's sports sector. The Japan Sports Agency's project to support athletes' contributions to society seeks to establish sustainable frameworks through which athletes can apply their capabilities in society and contribute their skills and expertise to communities and businesses.

As part of this initiative, the Expert Committee conducts and evaluates research on how professionals with sports backgrounds are applying their skills in the workforce, with the aim of enhancing the project's effectiveness.

Basis for Participation: Leifras' Track Record in Supporting Athletes' Post-Competition Careers and Community-Based School Club Activities

Leifras believes that Mr. Yazawa's recommendation and selection reflect two areas of the Company's experience, developed through its efforts since its founding to advance sports as an industry and enhance its social value.

Active Career Support for Former Professional Athletes and Para-Athletes

Leifras actively employs former professional athletes and supports their post-competition careers, guided by its longstanding belief that the personal qualities and technical skills developed through elite competition have significant value to society.

The Company directly employs numerous individuals with professional sports experience as full-time employees, who have begun and developed new careers as sports instructors and child support instructors. Leifras also employs two Paralympians as full-time employees, providing an environment that enables them to focus on both competition and instruction.

Japan's No. 1 Track Record in Supporting the Transition of School Club Activities to Community-Based Programs, ^[1] Supported by a Nationwide Instructor Network

With contracts covering 381 schools and 2,120 school clubs nationwide as of December 2025, Leifras has one of Japan's largest track records in contracted school club activity support. The Company has also established its proprietary instructor platform across Japan.

Its experience in community collaboration, including local instruction systems, advanced safety management, and governance structures, has earned recognition as a benchmark  model for outsourcing services within public education.

Composition of the Expert Committee and Leifras' Role

The Expert Committee brings together leading figures from academia, sports organizations, former athletes, and corporate collaboration.

Mr. Yazawa expects to contribute a community-collaboration perspective to the Expert Committee, drawing on Leifras' experience in employing former athletes and working with local governments.

Outlook: Contributing to Society by Applying Leifras' Expertise to a Public-Sector Initiative

This appointment represents a meaningful opportunity for Leifras to apply the expertise it has developed through its operations in supporting athletes' post-competition careers and transitioning school club activities to community-based programs directly to a national initiative.

Leifras plans to continue its company-wide efforts to unlock the full potential of sports, support athletes throughout their careers and subsequent stages of life, and build social infrastructure that enables everyone to enjoy sports on a sustained basis.

^[1] Notes on Market Position: (i) Sports school membership: Leifras ranked No. 1 in Japan for four consecutive years based on a comparison of membership among the three highest-revenue operators of children's sports schools that do not own sports facilities, according to Tokyo Shoko Research, Ltd., as of December 2025. (ii) Number of contracted schools and supported school clubs: based on a comparison of the number of contracted schools and supported school clubs in 2025 among the three highest-revenue companies in the school club activity support business, according to Tokyo Shoko Research, Ltd., as of December 2025.

About LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Leifras is a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement. The Company primarily provides services related to the organization and operations of sports schools and sports events for children. Leifras was recognized as Japan's largest operator of children's sports schools in terms of both membership and number of schools, as well as the leading provider of school club activity support in terms of the number of contracted schools, according to Tokyo Shoko Research as of December 2025. The Company's approach to sports education emphasizes the development of non-cognitive skills, following the teaching principle "acknowledge, praise, encourage, and motivate." Its holistic approach integrates physical and mental development. Building on its experience and expertise in sports education, Leifras also operates a social business that supports school club activities, provides sports therapy for children with developmental disabilities, and offers exercise programs for the elderly. As of June 30, 2026, the Company supported 2,224 club activities at 478 schools.

For more information, please visit the Company's website: https://ir.leifras.co.jp/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as "approximates," "believes," "hopes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "plans," "will," "would," "should," "could," "may," or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks, including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions, and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the annual report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the annual report and other filings with the SEC. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov.

For more information, please contact:

LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.
Investor Relations Department
Email: IR@leifras.co.jp

Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: investors@ascent-ir.com

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SOURCE LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.