Karuizawa Sports Festival 2026 Expanding the Circle of Sports in Its Third Year

We held the Karuizawa Sports Festival 2026 on May 17, at Kazakoshi Park in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture.

Now in its third year, this event was organized as part of the activities of the Karuizawa Child Future Fund, operated jointly with the non-profit organization Sports Community Karuizawa Club.

The festival continues to grow each year with the goal of providing opportunities for all children to experience sports and culture. Due to increasing interest and participation, this year the event expanded its recruitment area beyond Karuizawa Town to include neighboring communities such as Miyota, Saku, and Komoro. Many children from across the region joined the festival.

Blessed with beautiful weather once again this year, children enjoyed a wide variety of sports activities under clear blue skies, moving their bodies freely and taking on new challenges with enthusiasm.

In addition to baseball, soccer, wrestling, and curling, this year marked the debut of a new Tennis Clinic. We also revived the Golf Clinic for the first time since the inaugural event, providing participants with an even broader range of sporting experiences.

Across all activities, many children were trying the sport for the very first time. Although some appeared nervous at first, the instructors' warm encouragement and passionate guidance soon helped them relax and smile. As they took on new challenges, the children gradually gained confidence and became increasingly active and engaged.

The event provided a special opportunity for participants to interact directly with top athletes. Beyond learning sport-specific skills and techniques, the children experienced the courage to take on challenges, the importance of teamwork and encouraging one another, and the exhilaration of giving their very best effort.

We hope that these experiences will extend far beyond the world of sports, helping the children develop the confidence to take their first step toward new opportunities and the ability to build meaningful connections with others in their daily lives and future learning.

・Baseball

A total of 90 children participated in the Baseball Clinic.

During the pitching session, participants practiced proper throwing techniques and pitching form using softballs. After receiving instruction on the fundamentals from the coaches, the children eagerly took on each challenge while hearing encouraging advice such as, "Swing your arm through!" and "Use your legs and the ball will travel farther!"

In the fielding drill, children were divided into teams and practiced catching and releasing the ball. They listened carefully to the instructors and worked together while improving their basic baseball skills.

The strikeout challenge corner was also very popular, with many children repeatedly saying, "I want to hit every target!" and "Let me try one more time!" In the latter half of the clinic, participants enjoyed a baseball board-style game, where experienced players and beginners alike worked together and had fun as a team.

・Soccer

In the Soccer Clinic, participants were divided into groups based on their skill levels and worked on fundamental skills such as ball control, dribbling, passing, and shooting.

In the second half of the clinic, the instructors joined the children for mini-games. The participants chased after the ball with determination, communicated with their teammates, and put the skills they had learned during practice into action. Some teams even managed to defeat the instructors' team, filling the venue with cheers and smiles.

・Wrestling

In the Wrestling Clinic, participants learned basic movements such as stance and body positioning, and also took on tackle experiences.

In the latter half of the session, they took part in partner-based activities, including a stepping game and a rope-grab game. At first, many children felt a little nervous being paired with someone they had just met, but once the activities began, they quickly became focused and serious. As they pushed against each other and competed to grab the rope, excited voices of "I got it!" echoed throughout the venue, creating a lively atmosphere.

During the tackle experience with the instructors, some children approached cautiously, while others asked, "Is it okay if I go all out?" before giving it their full effort. A few even charged in with real intensity. The instructors welcomed each attempt with smiles, encouraging them by saying, "Good!" and "Give it everything you've got!"

The demonstration by top athletes drew loud cheers as the children watched powerful and dynamic movements up close, giving them a real sense of the appeal of wrestling.

・Curling

As a sport unique to Karuizawa, the Curling Clinic was held under the supervision of the SC Karuizawa Club, giving children the opportunity to experience the basic movements of curling.

The session began with instruction on how to fall safely, how to walk on ice, how to throw stones, and how to maintain proper posture on the ice.

Participants then practiced throwing stones, aiming to hit distant targets, and also tried sweeping the ice with brushes.

At first, many children struggled even to walk on the ice, but as they received tips and guidance from the instructors, they improved rapidly. Excited voices such as "I hit it!" and "It stopped right where I wanted!" could be heard throughout the venue. The children became completely absorbed in this rare opportunity to experience an ice sport.

In particular, during the sweeping exercises, they worked as a team while calling out "Yap!" and "Whoa!", experiencing the collaborative nature that makes curling unique. The venue was filled with smiles and cheers from beginning to end.

・Tennis (First-Ever)

The Tennis Clinic was held for the first time this year.

At the beginning of the program, Kunieda and Fujiwara demonstrated a high-level rally, impressing both children and parents with the sharp sound of the ball, the speed of the exchanges, and the powerful voices during play. The venue was filled with excitement and surprise.

The clinic was conducted in small groups and designed so that even young beginners could enjoy participating. It began with familiarizing the children with the ball, followed by activities such as ball passing and one-bounce passing, allowing them to naturally learn the basics of tennis in a playful way.

During the one-bounce passing activity, instructors explained that "when these movements become larger, it becomes tennis," and the children practiced while enjoying the movement.

There were also opportunities for children to rally directly with the instructors, and they enjoyed the exchanges as the rallies continued.

・Golf (Revival)

The Golf Clinic, which had not been held since the inaugural event, returned this year.

Using beginner-friendly SNAG Golf equipment, children with and without golf experience enjoyed playing together in mixed teams. They naturally communicated with one another while taking on the activities at their own pace.

In the first half, participants were divided into groups for putting, approach shots, and swing practice. While learning how to grip the club and the basics of the swing, the children tried hitting the ball. At first, many struggled with whiffing or controlling the strength of their shots, but they gradually picked up the techniques with advice from the instructors and showed big smiles as they said, "It went far!" and "I did it!"

In the second half, a hole-style game was held where participants aimed to reach the target. One child even achieved a hole-in-one, drawing loud cheers and applause from the venue.

・Friendship Sports Festival - Giant Ball Relay

At the end of the event, all children and instructors were divided into red and white teams and took part in a giant ball relay.

Working together within their teams, the children struggled with the large balls that were bigger than their own height, but continued to encourage one another as they took on the challenge. The venue was filled with smiles and cheers.

Through this event, children experienced not only the joy of sports, but also the importance of taking on challenges, working together, and continuing to try.

We will continue to support activities that nurture and develop children's 'zest for life' through sports and cultural experiences.

Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all local residents, partner organizations, instructors, and supporters who helped make this event possible.

■ Karuizawa Sports Festival 2026

This event was planned to provide children with opportunities for social participation and sports experience, and to contribute to the development of local sports culture.

■ Sports Community Karuizawa Club N.P.O., Karuizawa Child Future Fund

The concept of the Karuizawa Child Future Fund, operated by Sports Community Karuizawa Club, is to provide all children in Karuizawa with opportunities to experience sports and cultural arts, to nurture their healthy minds and bodies, and to develop their "zest for life".

By providing opportunities to experience sports and cultural activities, we work to eliminate the experience gap between children and provide them with many choices.

■ Sports For Kids Foundation

For inquiries about this event

OBI HOLDINGS CSR Team

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