"Cheering together in the audience" June 6 at 8:16

"I want everyone to cheer together in the spectator seats"

After the Corona disaster, there is a movement to be able to watch sports together regardless of whether or not there is a disability.

What are the keys to realization and the challenges to make it take root in society?

(Sports News Department Reporter Atsuto Furukata)

In the spectator seats full of heated battles

In May, 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the first game of the Basketball B-League Championship Final at Yokohama Arena.

With the Ryukyu Golden Kings leading by three goals, the Chiba Jets' dramatic three-point shot sealed the game at the last minute to tie the game at 1-4. Then the voltage in the venue reached its climax.

It was a close match with two overtime innings, and Ryukyu, who were aiming for their first title, ran away.

The second leg followed. The venue was packed with 2,1 spectators, the largest crowd in the history of the B.League. Of these, more than 3657,2100 came from Okinawa.

The Ryukyu players turned their cheering into strength and won their first championship.

Ryukyu Golden Kings KISHIMOTO Ryuichi:
"It was very helpful for us to have so many people come to Yokohama Arena and support us."

The crowded seats that encouraged the athletes were a scene that gave a strong impression that watching sports has finally returned to its daily routine after a period of restrictions due to the new coronavirus.

Watching sports for the first time

In one corner of the venue, a certain audience seat was set up this time.

Children with disabilities and their families were invited. This is the first attempt of the B.League to change society for the better through the power of sports.

One of them is Riku Ando (1 years old). He has physical and intellectual disabilities and has difficulty maintaining a sitting position.

Her mother, Kumiko, who played basketball for about 2 years as a student, had a desire to go watch the B-League with her son someday.

After learning about this initiative, I visited a basketball game with my parents and children for the first time.

Ms. Kumiko Ando, mother:
"When it comes to going out, there were quite a few hurdles for children with disabilities, especially when it came to watching sports, both physically and mentally."

We want to bridge the "gap" in society

In order for everyone, able-bodied and disabled, to enjoy watching sports in the same space, chairs were the key to the realization of this initiative, which was planned for the first time by the B.League.

To make it easier for children who have difficulty staying in a sitting position to sit alone, a special portable chair has been prepared that can be fixed to the seat.

This chair was developed by Yuri Matsumoto of Kyoto City.

I started my own company three years ago and have been working on the development of this chair. The trigger for this was the presence of the eldest son.

My eldest son, born in 3, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy by doctors when he was 2016 months old. As a parent of a child with a disability, he became aware of the social gap between able-bodied people and people with disabilities.

Yuri Matsumoto
: "At first, I was very surprised that there were so many children with disabilities in the world when my son was born with a disability and went to rehabilitation or hospital.

Matsumoto says that one of the most difficult times was going out.

My son, who has cerebral palsy, has a weak core and needs a large assistive device called a sitting position device to sit for a long time.

However, it weighs about 20 kilograms, making it difficult for even adults to lift it, so I have never taken it with me on the go. Faced with the reality of restrictions on the options and range of activities of going out, he began to want to create opportunities for able-bodied people and people with disabilities to share the same experience.

After hearing from parents of children with similar disabilities, we developed a portable chair.

It can be folded with a single touch and weighs about 1.3 kg so that even one mother can easily carry it. It can be used not only by children with disabilities, but also by infants. Even if it is difficult to maintain your posture, we have devised the shape of the seat surface so that you can sit stably.

Expanding possibilities for watching sports

Kumiko Ando and Riku-kun visited to watch sports for the first time.

Riku sat alone in a portable chair and enjoyed watching sports for about two hours.

Parents and children supported the players with all their heart, and Kumiko's wish to watch basketball with her son was fulfilled.

Mother Kumiko Ando
: "My son seemed to enjoy the atmosphere of the venue, such as the sparkling production of the venue, and I think it was stimulating. I wanted to come back to a place like this, and the possibilities really expanded."

Developing a portable chair
Yuri Matsumoto: "I hope that this will lead to an opportunity for families with small children to watch sports more easily.

You can also watch the game in a sound-insulated room

Creating an environment for people with disabilities to watch sports is beginning to spread to other sports as well.

Since last season, the women's soccer WE League has set up a special room called the "Sensory Room" at a stadium in Kobe City that is equipped with sound insulation for children who are sensitive to sound and light.

In addition, devices have been developed that allow visually impaired people to grasp the position of the ball in real time through touch, and devices that allow people with hearing impairments to sense the rhythm and volume of sound in the venue using vibration and light.

The challenges to make it take root in society are:

Professor Noriaki Fujita of Japan University of Social Welfare, who is an expert on the relationship between sports and society, praised the improvement of the environment for watching sports, saying, "It is a good change that everyone can feel the appeal of watching sports live by improving the environment that makes it easier for people with disabilities to access the venue, and this is happening in society as a whole."

On the other hand, he points out that there are challenges for these initiatives to take root in society.

Professor
Noriaki Fujita: "It is difficult to continue for a long time without merit for spectators, teams, and sponsors.

"Beyond the hard work"

Ryuichi Kishimoto from Okinawa, who can be said to be a symbol of Ryukyu who won the B-League championship for the first time.

At the press conference after winning the championship for the first time, he sent the following message to the children with disabilities who came to watch the match.

KISHIMOTO
Ryuichi: "In a world where various people are fighting behind the scenes, I have a strong desire to give hope by playing our game. I want to keep playing with that mindset".

After the Paralympic Games in their home countries, which were expected to change the environment surrounding people with disabilities, changes are definitely starting to happen, albeit slightly.

However, the reality is that it is not easy to make it take root without making it transient.

I felt that Kishimoto's message of "continuing to seek the 'good things' that lie beyond your own efforts and hard work"

contained hints for facing these issues.

Sports News Department Reporter
Atsuto
Koken joined the bureau in 2015 After working at the Utsunomiya Bureau and the Kofu Bureau, he worked in the Sports News Department. I'm from Okinawa, but I'm practicing finger whistle. The person I respect is Mr. Gushiken Yotaka.