After the Olympic Games-2012 in London the 28-year-old Japanese thought of completion of sporting career, but after successful a knee joint operation, made the decision to remain in big-time sports.  Hiraoka's resetting to a tatami is expected on the Kodokan Cup tournament which will take place at the beginning of November in Tokyo. 

     In weight category to 66 kg Hiroaki Hiraoka should face the most powerful internal competition in the national team of Japan, after all in this weight appear the double world champion (2011, 2013) and the bronze prize-winner of OG-2012 Masashi Ebinuma, world champion-2010 Dzhunpey Morishita and the bronze prize-winner of ChW-2013 Masaaki Fukuoka.

     Let's remind that after the Olympic Games-2012 two more titled judoists who were earlier appearing in the easiest weight - the double world champion (2010, 2011) Rishod Sobirov from Uzbekistan and world champion-2009 George Zantaraya from Ukraine replaced weight category 60 kg with 66 kg.