Hamilton (New Zealand), Jul 22 (AP) Japanese players wore black armbands in their Women's World Cup opener against Zambia on Saturday following the death of Fumiko Tottori, the mother of Japanese Princess Takamado.

The princess is the honorary patron of the Japan Football Association, and her mother, Tottori, 96, died Tuesday in Tokyo. FIFA granted the association's request to wear the bands as a tribute.

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The Japanese team wore the armbands days after New Zealand and Norway held a moment of silence ahead of the tournament's opening match after two men were killed in a shooting in downtown Auckland.

Before the tournament, FIFA announced it would permit team captains to wear eight specially designed armbands unveiled earlier this month.

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The eight armband designs were based on anti-discriminatory themes including inclusivity toward Indigenous peoples, ending domestic violence and creating gender equality. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)