Glory and Drama on the World's Greatest Stage: A Brief History of Keio University at the Olympic Games

Excitement is building for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, where Keio students and alumni will again represent Japan, just as they have for nearly a century. With one of Japan's oldest and most outstanding athletics traditions, Keio is proud to support its athletes as they set out on their Olympic journeys. At Keio, sports is about much more than athletic achievement and has always focused on building character through sportsmanship.

Since Japan first sent a team to the Olympics in 1912, the Keio University Athletic Association has produced many Olympians in a multitude of events. Follow the timeline below to trace Keio's history with the Olympics.

At the 7th Olympic Games—the second games that Japanese athletes participated in—Keio alumnus Ichiya Kumagai participated in both the men’s singles and doubles tennis events, winning the silver medal in both and entering the history books as Japan’s first medal taker at the Olympics. 

Keio student Ryuichi Obitani represents Japan in the nation's first appearance at the figure skating event (pictured here third from right). 

The Japanese field hockey team brings home the bronze with three of its members being students of Keio: Masuyuki Asakawa, Shunkichi Hamada, and Eiichi Nakamura.

The 11th Olympiad in Berlin was a very successful games for Keio University, particularly the swim team. Noboru Terada, who was a Keio student at the time, won gold in the 1500m freestyle event, while Reizo Koike won silver for the 200m breaststroke. Again, Keio student Ryuichi Obitani represents Japan in figure skating.

When Keio student Sueo Oe and Waseda University alumnus Shuhei Nishida, two good friends and rivals, declined a rematch after tying in the pole vault event, Oe was awarded bronze and Nishida silver. After their return to Japan, they cut their medals in half and soldered them together into a pair of bronze-silver medals, now known as the Medals of Eternal Friendship.

The Japanese Olympic handball team, which included 6 Keio students, gathers for a commemorative photo on the before the 1941 Tokyo Olympics, which were canceled on the eve of World War II.

Keio student and wrestler Yushu Kitano wins the silver in the men’s flyweight freestyle wrestling event.

Keio student Takashi Ono, a gymnast who had won a bronze at the previous olympics in Helsinki, won his first gold medal, on the horizontal bar, as well as three silver and one bronze.

Takashi Ono returned to the 17th Olympiad as the flag bearer for Japan, and he put in an amazing performance that put Japanese gymnastics on the map. He won gold for the horizontal bar, vault, and all-round team events. Ono competed at four Olympic games, garnering five gold, four silver, and three bronze medals over his illustrious Olympic career. 

At Japan’s first Tokyo Olympic Games, Takashi Ono delivered the opening speech as team leader of the Japanese Olympic team. He would again go on to take gold in the horizontal bar event in gymnastics. Keio alumnus and skipper Masayuki Ishii led the Japanese sailing crew, which included then-student Takafumi Okubo, in the Mixed Two Person Keelboat held at Enoshima, Sagami Bay (pictured here).

Tsunekazu Takeda, a Keio alumnus and the current Japanese Olympic Committee President, competed in show jumping at the 1972 Games in Munich and 1976 Games in Montreal. He finished 16th and 13th respectively and later became a coach for the Japanese equestrian team.

In 1984, baseball was included the Olympics as a demonstration sport. Although not counting towards the official medal tally, the Japanese Baseball team won gold with Keio student Kazuaki Ueda on the team.

At the Seoul Olympics, baseball was once again included as a demonstration sport, and this time there were two members of the Japanese team that won silver with a Keio connection: alumni Tetsu Suzuki and student Takeshi Omori.

Keio alumni and baseball coach Hideaki Okubo helped the Japanese baseball team win another bronze in Atlanta.

Yoshinobu Takahashi, a Keio alumnus and the current manager for the Yomiuri Giants, contributed to a bronze medal won by the 2004 Japanese Olympic baseball team.

At the 30th Olympiad, Keio student and member of the Japanese fencing team Ryo Miyake won silver in the men’s team foil while Keio student Ryo Tateishi took bronze in the 200m breaststroke.

This year there are four Keio students and alumni participating in the Summer Olympics, and one in the Paralympics.

Manami Doi, a 4th-year student in the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, is already entering her second Olympic games as a Japanese representative for sailing. Her event is the women’s laser radial class, in which she hopes to improve on her 31st place finish at the London Olympics. 

Ginga Munetomo, a 3rd-year student in the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, will compete in his first Olympics for the Japanese gymnastics team where he will compete in the trampolining event. 

Ryota Yamagata is a graduate of the Faculty of Policy Management and one of Japan’s fastest ever sprinters over 100 meters. After gaining valuable experience at the 2012 London Olympics, Yamagata is rounding into peak form at exactly the right moment. He recorded his personal best over the 100 meters on the June 5, 2016 clocking a time of 10:06—the 5th fastest time by a Japanese sprinter. 

Keio alumnus Akihito Yamada will represent Japan for rugby sevens, which is debuting as an Olympic sport at the Rio games.

Alumnus Saki Takakuwa will represent Japan at the Paralympics in Rio in track and field. She was part of the Japanese Paralympic team four years ago while a student at the Faculty of Policy Management. In London she participated in the T44 class for long jump, 100m, and 200m events, earning 7th place in the both the 100m and 200m, and she hopes to improve on these results in Rio.

As one of the nation’s major universities located in Tokyo, Keio University will have a major presence at the 32nd Olympiad in Tokyo. Keio has signed an agreement with the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and will lend facilities at Hiyoshi Campus as the training ground for Team GB, the British Olympic team.