SPORTS CHANGE MAKERS “Going Beyond Barriers” SPORTS CHANGE MAKERS “Going Beyond Barriers”
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Kento Yokose, representing Japan (from Kyoto Institute of Technology*)
*As of when the SPORTS CHANGE MAKERS project started

The SPORTS CHANGE MAKER representing Japan was Kento Yokose, who joined the SPORTS CHANGE MAKERS project all by himself. Kento came to know about the project while studying in Finland as an exchange student. “I learned about the competition through a tweet sent by Nobuyuki Hayashi, one of the judges. I was drawn to the competition's unique appeal, such as the opportunity to present to the IOC and the possibility of bringing ideas to life. My childhood memories of playing soccer were also a great motivation to participate in the competition.”

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Sharing his story and explaining his Vision Statement, he said, “It's been over 10 years since I played sports regularly, but I look back at those days I played soccer and realize they were the most memorable and enjoyable moments. And those moments weren't made up of me watching professionals play on TV; they were playing soccer with my friends until the sun set over the soccer field. That type of casual, everyday communication is exactly at the heart of my appreciation for sports. I wanted to create an opportunity for the children in 2021 to enjoy sports just like I did when I was younger. I'd like to help them experience sports in such a way that in 10 to 20 years, they can look back on their memories and sporting experience and remember it as something very precious and irreplaceable. I participated in this project with this goal in mind.”

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Idea

“Our Play Park”

Barrier

People can feel the greatness of the sports more when we experience with our bodies than watching sports through screens

Target

Children

Solution

A park where children can experience the movements of athletes with playground equipment

Presentation Movie

Presentation Movie

Prototype

With technological support from Panasonic, Kento created a prototype for his idea, “Our Play Park.” The motions of athletes competing in the Olympics and Paralympics, captured through Panasonic’s video technology, are translated into three-dimensional objects. Here, the trajectory of a long jump athlete and the movement of the athlete’s hands and feet when landing are transformed into a piece of playground equipment.

photo: “Our Play Park”

Prototype

With technological support from Panasonic, Kento created a prototype for his idea, “Our Play Park.” The motions of athletes competing in the Olympics and Paralympics, captured through Panasonic’s video technology, are translated into three-dimensional objects. Here, the trajectory of a long jump athlete and the movement of the athlete’s hands and feet when landing are transformed into a piece of playground equipment.

photo: “Our Play Park”

From Advisors

At the Final Presentation livestreamed worldwide, the team honed their idea by discussing with advisors, who had various perspectives.

Epilogue

photo: Kento Yokose photo: Kento Yokose

All in Panasonic’s team that supported Kento were impressed by his pure passion just to create “Our Play Park.” Whatever questions we asked him, Kento expressed his unwavering desire to give children the chance to make precious memories. We saw that it was not an interest in career planning or business that drives him. He just wants to create things and bring joy. He reminded us of what manufacturing should be.

Asked about how he felt when winning the qualifying round, Kento answered:

“I feel the panel selected me as regional representative because I was sincere in proposing a future landscape that I really wanted to see. As a student, I may not yet know everything about advancing such a big project, but being a student also allows me to propose ideas that are unique to me at this stage of life. I decided to believe in the things that only I can do.”

My dream is that I continue to love creating things, and that I continue to love what I create.

Kento Yokose, SPORTS CHANGE MAKER representing Japan

The students have just begun taking on new challenges.
There will be many difficulties and hardships for those entering the workforce.
Hoping that this SPORTS CHANGE MAKERS project will provide clues as to how they will overcome the barriers that may await them, we shall further pursue our activities.

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