Top Japanese athletes inspire diversified youth sports programs
Some of Japan's most successful athletes are inspiring a push for children to broaden their horizons and experience a range of sports, rather than specializing in one from an early age.
While Japanese youth sports have traditionally pushed youngsters toward a single pursuit, Los Angeles Dodgers' superstar Shohei Ohtani and women's Olympic speed skating gold medalist Miho Takagi are among the top-level athletes who played multiple sports at youth level.
Ohtani dabbled in badminton, a sport his mother played at national level, while Takagi was known for her football talent before focusing on the rink.
Olympic women's javelin gold medalist Haruka Kitaguchi, meanwhile, competed at national level both in swimming and badminton before taking up her current sport in high school.
Since her Summer Games triumph in Paris last year, she has even tested herself in new fields in judo and artistic gymnastics.
"I'm looking for things I can make use of in javelin by doing many sports," the 27-year-old said. "Combining a little stimulus from various sports produces a positive impact."
A multisport event held in late June at Tokyo's National Stadium involved some 400 children in their first to third year at elementary school, who enjoyed 30 minutes each of football, baseball, rugby and athletics.
"I've never tried rugby before, but I found it fun," a third-year boy said.
Instructors included Atsuto Uchida, a former Japan defender in men's football, while baseball legend Sadaharu Oh, whose 868 home runs is a record in Nippon Professional Baseball, also took part in the activities.
"Widening these circles will help children feel they want to do more physical activities," said the 85-year-old Oh, who revealed he took part in table tennis and shot-put competitions when he was young.
On top of enhancing the youngsters' physical abilities and coordination, it is also hoped that the new movement will enlarge the overall sporting population amid the declining birthrate.
The Japan Sport Council has outsourced a multisport support program to the University of Tsukuba, while NPB and J-League clubs have begun offering related classes and events in a breakthrough move in the country where inter-sports activities have been rare.
"The time has come to change our fundamental view and set a diversified sense of values on sports, like abroad," said Takashi Oyama, a Tsukuba professor specializing in multisport activities.
"Experiencing many things, and making one's own choices and decisions, should bring about a sense of satisfaction and happiness."
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