The Japan Sports Association, which organizes the tournament, has been considering ways to approach the national exchange tournament for youth sports clubs, which has been criticized as having the tendency to lead to inappropriate guidance for children due to a focus on victory. However, due to the large number of opinions requesting its continuation, the company announced that it will continue for the time being while making improvements to its operating methods.

The Japan Sports Club was established in 1962 with the aim of nurturing young people through sports, and has approximately 540,000 registered children, mainly elementary school students aged 3 and over, making it the largest children's sports organization in Japan.



Among these, regarding the "National Sports Junior Sports Exchange Tournament" held in softball baseball, kendo, and volleyball, there is a possibility that the nature of the tournament, where representatives from prefectures and blocks gather, may induce a mentality of victory, and excessive practice may be encouraged. It was pointed out that this could lead to inappropriate guidance.



The Japan Sports Association is considering how the tournament should be held, including abolishing it, and as a result of hearing opinions from prefectures, more than 80% of the respondents said that the tournament should be continued. , we have decided to continue the event for the time being while improving the content and management method, and announced it on the 6th.



In addition, as a new initiative, we will formulate new rules by the end of 2026, including increasing participation opportunities so that more children can participate and enriching opportunities for interaction. This means that we will introduce it.



Naomi Mashiko, head of the Japan Sports Club, said, ``Adults should not take away the opportunities for children to interact in sports.''We hope to hold national exchange tournaments where children can have fun and play safely, and inspire other sports groups. I want it to be a tournament that gives me something to do."