2020.02.06
Erika Tanaka, a third-year student at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, was selected as "Miss Sports" at the 52nd Miss Nippon Contest 2020, an award for promoting the joy of taking on healthy challenges through sports.
The Miss Nippon Contest began in 1950, shortly after the Pacific War, to select female goodwill ambassadors to express gratitude for relief supplies from an official Asian relief organization. Advocating for "beauty in the Japanese style," the contest selects contestants based on their desire to cultivate beauty, their ambition for personal growth, and their willingness to contribute to society.
The role of Miss Sports is to promote the joy of taking on challenges by dedicating herself to physical and mental training, possessing a love for sports and a spirit of striving for victory, and truly understanding sportsmanship. In addition to existing sports, she will broaden her horizons to include new sports and entertainment, and boldly take on new challenges.
Ms. Tanaka has been dedicated to soccer for 17 years. Before her exchange program, she was a player on the women's team of the Athletic Association Soccer Club at the Juku. During her exchange program at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy, she joined the dragon boat racing club. Her achievements on the international stage were recognized, including winning Italian national and world championships. She is currently training with new teammates on a dragon boat club team in Tokyo, aiming to become the best in Japan.
Comments from Erika Tanaka
I am very happy to receive such an award because I love playing sports.
Soccer, which I have been playing for 17 years, is the cornerstone of my life. Thanks to the perseverance and physical strength I developed through soccer, I was able to represent the university in my first year of experience with the Ca' Foscari University of Venice dragon boat racing club, winning all divisions of the national championships and the world championships with my teammates.
Through study sessions with specialists from various fields, I was able to learn about my own roots. In this contest, which values not only outward appearance but also inner beauty and conduct, I deepened my knowledge of traditional Japanese arts such as the behind-the-scenes stories of ukiyo-e and the movements of Noh theater, as well as infrastructure like sewage systems and forestry. I also deepened my bond with the other 12 contestants with whom I spent about six months after being selected as the representative for the East Japan area. That is why we were able to unite and deliver our best performance to everyone at the final event.
As Miss Sports, I first want to contribute directly to the success of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and also be involved in raising awareness of minor sports, including dragon boat racing. Furthermore, I hope to use my communication skills, which transcend language barriers, to help promote international exchange between Japan, Italy, and the United States.
Source: General Affairs Section, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office