UTokyo Athletic Foundation Holds Field Day for New Students

Date of activity: May 7, 2014

On the evening of May 7th (Wed), the Athletic Foundation of the University of Tokyo held the Komaba Field Day at Athletic Field 1 on the Komaba Campus. This event, designed to help new students quickly become familiar with the university environment by giving them opportunities to interact with each other both inside and outside of class while forming a close relationship with the Athletic Foundation and the sports clubs, was held for the first time this year.

The sports event held during the Field Day was a 100m relay race with teams of four people, and 11 teams participated in the event. More teams had originally planned to participate, but since the day of the event was postponed due to rain, there were fewer teams available. Despite the fewer number of teams running in the race, however, many new students came to the field to cheer on their fellow students after classes ended and the race was about to begin, with loud cheers filling the air at crucial moments during the race.

As the participants celebrated the sense of accomplishment they felt after completing the race, the Closing Ceremony took place, with Athletic Foundation Chairman Furuta awarding the winners with certificates and prizes. The winning team, named "Ultra Soul" with "Soul" being a pun on the Japanese word meaning "run," received their trophy, restaurant dinner gift certificates and other prizes with triumphant smiles.

Many of the participating students and those who came to cheer for them remained even after the Closing Ceremony had finished, with groups of students happily talking amongst themselves. Such cheerful conversations between students made this event memorable.