Masato Yokota: Who Does Sport Belong To?

2020/10/13

When the National Junior High School Athletic Meet and the Inter-High School Championships were canceled due to the impact of the new coronavirus, media coverage centered on concerns for students aiming for national tournaments and pursuing higher education through sports recommendations. It is extremely regrettable that the stage they dedicated their youth to was lost. However, a sense of unease grew within us day by day: "Does sport belong only to the elite?" Taking track and field, my specialty, as an example, over 110,000 high school students and approximately 200,000 junior high school students are registered with the Japan Association of Athletics Federations. Yet, for these roughly 300,000 athletes, national tournaments and sports recommendations are largely irrelevant. Therefore, we decided to hold an online track and field event called the "Virtual Distance Challenge" for all junior and senior high school students who were deprived of the opportunity to play sports by the coronavirus.

Since track and field is a sport where records are contested, the accuracy of those records is vital. Records are recognized as official when measured by official judges at certified stadiums. However, because it was difficult to hold official competitions during the pandemic, we made the event possible by having participants film their races and post them to video sites, allowing for a simplified re-measurement process.

We established rules that allowed participation from anywhere—whether a large stadium or a school playground—resulting in over 1,800 records posted by 1,490 individuals and 332 teams. Rather than a simple ranking system listing records, we encouraged people to post videos that touched their hearts on social media using the hashtag "#VirtuaChalle." This made visible the hard work of the athletes, as well as the emotions and thoughts of those supporting them. Videos capturing bonds with teammates, families, and teachers were shared widely, not just those showing fast times. Through this, the value of sport expanded beyond just medal counts and victories.

I competed in the 2012 Olympics and retired in 2016 after competing while based in the United States. Currently, I have established TWOLAPS TC, a middle- and long-distance club team that transcends the boundaries of affiliation, gender, and event, to train elite athletes. Beyond that, I intend to focus on fostering a sports culture that supports top athletes and continue seeking sustainable ways for sports to exist in the future.