"Sports is a language - what I learned through UNDOKAI"

2022/7th batch
Osaka Kanako (Physical education)

We have held "UNDOKAI" twice so far to improve physical education in Timor-Leste. This was the third time, and Mr. Shota Iizuka (Mizuno), a four-time Olympic sprinter and Rio Olympics men's 4x100m and relay silver medallist, and his coach Toyoda Hirohiro (Chuo University) visited Timor-Leste and participated in UNDOKAI with children.

When we first planned UNDOKAI, we never thought that Mr. Iizuka would come to Timor-Leste, so this visit was like a dream.

It took about three months to hold UNDOKAI, including preparations. University students created materials and equipment, held meetings, and explained the activities to each participating school, and confirmed the movements on the day in advance. Rather than "holding the event because of Mr. Iizuka’s visit", we will hold the UNDOKAI event, in which Mr. Iizuka participate. The day before, we held a simple meeting with the Physical Education volunteer team, Mr. Iizuka, and Coach Toyoda to share our thoughts and goals and reached a common understanding before going into the event.

And on the day of UNDOKAI.

About an hour before UNDOKAI began, Mr. Iizuka and Coach Toyoda held a mini track and field class. Even though we didn't know the number of participants until just before it starts, they responded flexibly on the spot. They also gave simple and easy-to-understand instructions on how to use your body to run fast. Many of the children in Timor-Leste are shy, and they seemed nervous at first, but when they ran with Mr. Iizuka, their faces began to light up. I still remember that it was an expression I had never seen in a regular class.

After the mini track and field class, UNDOKAI finally began.

Approximately 60 students participated from four schools where physical education volunteers are assigned, one junior high school and three high schools, and five university students from the Faculty of Physical Education who have participated in UNDOKAI with us in the past, also participated as management members in UNDOKAI. In addition, many other team members joined to support.

We put on original headbands prepared by MIZUNO company with the word “UNDOKAI” on the center. They also have the names of Mr. Iizuka and Coach Toyoda on them, and headed for UNDOKAI.

Four events were held: obstacle course, ball toss, tug of war, and relay, and Mr. Iizuka participated in all of them. The obstacle course started with a jump with both feet, then jumped over hurdles, rolled a tire, and reached the finish line by grabbing bread that was hanging from the stick with his mouth. The bread used in this obstacle course, freshly baked that day, was prepared by a cooking school of another Japanese volunteer. The bread was very popular, and many people said they wanted to eat it again. I am happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with members of other professions who I don't usually have much contact with.

All the events were exciting, but the most exciting was the tug-of-war. When Mr. Iizuka's school won the tug-of-war, the excitement was just like a Japanese UNDOKAI. It was very impressive to see the students celebrating and high-fiving each other.

And since the relay is a staple of UNDOKAI, we incorporated a relay into the final event. Because it was held indoors, the distance was not long and there were many curves, but Mr. Iizuka's running was overwhelming and captured the hearts of everyone in the venue.

The venue was full of excitement much more than we expected, and it was a great success!

We started UNDOKAI with the hope that the children would develop a sense of responsibility, cooperation, teamwork, and consideration for their friends. Once they started, the children naturally enjoyed it so much that no explanation was needed. I think that together with Mr. Iizuka, we were able to achieve what we wanted to do.

The official language of Timor-Leste is Tetum. Mr. Iizuka cannot speak Tetum, and most of the Timorese who participated this time cannot speak Japanese. However, they undoubtedly connected with each other through UNDOKAI, sports, and competitions. I can say with certainty that Mr. Iizuka's proactive approach in talking to the children and his attitude of giving his all in the competition moved their hearts.

Mr. Iizuka proved that "sports is a language."

Mr. Iizuka said, "I want to come to Timor-Leste again. When I do, I want to hold a relay race at the athletics stadium." I hope that one day Mr. Iizuka will visit Timor-Leste again and we will be able to hold a real relay race.

Mr. Iizuka's visit to Timor-Leste and the implementation of UNDOKAI this time was a big step for the country, the children, and our future activities.
Now that we have been able to implement UNDOKAI, the next challenge is how to "continue" it.
We, the members of the team, would like to work hard toward this next challenge.