The University of Tokyo Sports Science Initiative was established on 19 May 2016 to promote cross-cutting research pertaining to sports and health sciences. While acting as a collaborative hub for universities and research centers in Japan and overseas, the initiative hopes its academic findings will be utilized for the betterment of student education and society.　 It is mainly run by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences which has the highest number of researchers in this field. However, including the Graduate School of Medicine and the School of Engineering, the Sports Science Initiative is so diverse that as many as 15 faculties and institutes within our university have been part of it.

The catalyst for the Sports Science Initiative was the selection of Tokyo to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. More precisely, the scope of research lies in the post-Olympic period, namely, five to 10 years from the event. By the year 2007, Japan had already grown into a super-aging nation with more than 21% of its total population being age 65 or older. By 2025, the figure is expected to top 33% while more than 20% of the total population will be over 75. The arrival of this unprecedented “hyper-aging society” will encompass problems such as skyrocketing medical fees, growing need for nursing care, and declining productive population. Under such circumstances, the difficult yet unavoidable question being posed to us is how we should manage social revitalization. In fact, it is a common challenge that both Japan and the world must overcome in a time of global aging.

As is demonstrated by the Olympics and other athletic events, sports not only promote wellbeing, but also rejuvenate our society and economy. If we can optimize the potential of sports, sports could become a powerful means resolving the above issues. It is for this reason that we believe in the potential of research that transcends the boundaries of conventional disciplines. For instance, not only does the genetic research combined with an athlete’s physical abilities enhance athletic performance, but it may also contribute to minimizing life-related diseases and improving people’s health and longevity.

On this website, we would like to introduce our current research topics related to sports and health sciences that have been studied at our affiliated institutes. As you see, they are diverse and cutting-edge. The key role of this initiative is how to integrate different components into creating new ideas and research themes. We are certainly thrilled at the prospect of our pursuits but at the same time, feeling an immense sense of responsibility.