The 55th Seven Universities Athletic Meet Closing Ceremony Held after UTokyo Clinches the Championship for the First Time in 4 Years!

Date of activity: September 24, 2016

The Closing Ceremony of the Seven Universities Athletic Meet (7-Univ.), which was hosted by UTokyo, was held on September 24, 2016, at the Graduate School of Economics on the Hongo Campus. Among the many people attending the ceremony were UTokyo Executive Vice President Tomokazu Haebara, a councilor of this tournament and proxy of President Makoto Gonokami who is the tournament's chairman; the chief director of the Athletic Foundation of the University of Tokyo Toshikazu Hasegawa who is also a councilor of this tournament; Yukishige Watanabe, the Secretary-general of Gakushi-kai, which is a special sponsor of 7-Univ.; the captains and members of the UTokyo athletic clubs; and students from the seven participating universities (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Kyushu).

At the closing ceremony, the final results were announced by Megumi Dantsuji, the chairperson of the 7-Univ. Operation Committee. UTokyo achieved an overall victory with a record-high score of 234.5 points. UTokyo has now won the competition a total of 11 times, and this year's win is the University's first since 2011. This victory also marks the first time since 1988 and fifth time overall that UTokyo has won the tournament as the hosting university.

In the awards part of the ceremony, Mao Atsumi, the chairperson of the UTokyo Athletic Foundation General Affairs Department, received a certificate, pennant and trophy from Executive Vice President Haebara, and a crystal trophy from Gakushi-kai Secretary-general Watanabe.

A message to the attendees from President Makoto Gonokami was read by Executive Vice President Haebara. In the message, he said to the students: "All of you who were involved in the operation and competitions of the tournament have brought prestige to the University, and devoted yourselves to the competitions while working together with your fellow students and connecting with students from other universities. The many efforts you have poured into this tournament and the challenges you made have helped you to grow. I ask that you use these experiences as valuable life lessons, and pass on what you learned from them to younger students."

Then, speeches were given by Hiroaki Matsuyama, member of the UTokyo Athletic Foundation General Affairs Department and the chairperson of the 55^th 7-Univ. Operation Committee, and Akihisa Kuwayama, member of the Nagoya University Athletic Association and the chairperson of the 56^th 7-Univ. Operation Committee.

After that, a slideshow featuring highlights of all of the competitions of this year's tournament was shown. Then, in a gesture to cheer on the next tournament's hosting university, this year's tournament mascot, Ichi-ko, handed a sash to Mr. Kuwayama that had the names of all of the members of the tournament's Operation Committee on it. The UTokyo Cheer Squad also gave a performance in support of Nagoya University. Then, with a declaration from Mr. Matsuyama, the Closing Ceremony came to a end.

With the Closing Ceremony, this year's tournament, which started last December and consisted of 31 competitions and the Cheer Squad performance concert, has successfully concluded. The winter competitions this December, just a few months away, mark the beginning of the 56^th tournament. Thank you for your support during this tournament, and please continue to cheer UTokyo on to a consecutive title!

◎Final Results

1st	The University of Tokyo	234.5 Pts (tournament record)
2nd	Osaka University	222 Pts
3rd	Tohoku University	212 Pts
4th	Kyoto University	181 Pts
5th	Nagoya University	170 Pts
6th	Kyushu University	162.5 Pts
7th	Hokkaido University	148 Pts

*The University of Tokyo Foundation has set up projects for supporting the Sports Association of the University of Tokyo. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.

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