The 3 factors of the classic model (maximal oxygen uptake [V^·O_2max], fractional utilization of V^·O_2max at the anaerobic threshold, and running economy [RE]) are well known to be the determinants of isolated distance running performance. However, no previous studies appear to have investigated the relationship between all 3 factors and running performance in the Olympic-distance triathlon (ODT). We therefore investigated this relationship by conducting 2 studies. In study I, the relationship between the 3 factors of the classic model and running performance in actual ODT races was investigated in 16 male triathletes. In study II, the relationship between the three factors and running performance in simulated ODT races with controlled exercise intensities, pedaling cadence, and carbohydrate intake during the swim and bike legs was investigated in 8 male triathletes. The 3 factors were quantified using a treadmill incremental test following the same protocol in each study. Simple correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed using the forced entry method. The independent variables were the 3 factors of the classic model, and the dependent variable was running performance in the ODT races. In study I, no significant correlation was found between the 2 measurements (p > 0.05). Furthermore, no significant multiple correlation coefficient was obtained (R < 0.54, p > 0.05), and < 10.7% of the running performance was attributable to the 3 factors. In study II, by contrast, a significant correlation was found between RE and running performance (r = 0.79, p = 0.02). In addition, a significant multiple correlation coefficient was obtained (R = 0.91, p = 0.05), and 69.9% of the running performance in the simulated ODT race was attributable to the three factors. In conclusion, we suggest that in the ODT the 3 factors of the classic model explain interindividual variation in running performance. However, in an actual ODT race, the relationship between the 3 factors and running performance may weaken owing to the residual effects of prior swimming and cycling.

There are 2 key issues central to sports integrity education in Japan. First, while both aspirational ethics and preventive ethics are important, there is a bias toward practical research focusing on preventive ethical approaches, whereas insufficient attention is given to aspirational ethics. Second, despite the necessity of sports integrity education for young individuals, especially considering the trend toward younger top athletes, there has been a lack of practical research on this topic. In the light of these issues, this paper proposes new teaching materials and instructional methods designed to achieve an aspirational ethics education approach, drawing on recent practices in moral education that emphasize ‘‘thought and discussion’’ in schools. Additionally, it discusses approaches for the training for top youth athletes and assesses the effectiveness of such training. In developing the teaching resource, materials aimed at ‘‘value clarification’’ were employed to help players explore their ideals and values, while materials focusing on ‘‘moral dilemmas’’ were also included to allow individuals to reflect on their role as athletes by making choices in morally conflicting situations. The training was conducted with 40 J-League youth soccer players as part of a 50-minute sports integrity session. The focus was on mutual learning and the exploration of values and ideals cherished by the players themselves, rather than on providing definitions or transmitting knowledge of sports integrity. The results indicated that only ideal values elicited a significant increase in the number of ideal images articulated by the players before and after the training. In addition, free responses such as ‘‘What skills do I need now?’’ were observed, suggesting that exposure to the values of others prompted the players to reconsider, expand, and deepen their own important values. Furthermore, the materials focusing on moral dilemmas provided an effective opportunity to deepen discussions and explore a range of values by engaging players in debates covering 5 ethical conflict situations from opposing viewpoints. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the use of materials focusing on moral dilemmas prompting individuals to ask ‘‘What kind of athlete do I want to be?’’ and encouraging reaffirmation of values and ideals through discussion of morally conflicting situations was an effective approach for aspirational ethics education. This approach was considered to help athletes realize and pursue their own ideals and values.

This study aimed to explore how volunteers participating in a para-sport event understood the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). To identify the key components of DEI, we adapted the Ten-Statement Test, asking volunteers, ‘‘What keywords or phrases come to mind when you think of DEI in para-sport events?’’ A total of 352 volunteers involved in the 2024 World Para-Athletics Championship participated. After excluding low-reliability items and combining duplicates, 697 keywords were analyzed. Thematic analysis revealed 118 diversity keywords that were grouped into five categories: (1) subject, (2) variety, (3) understanding and respect, (4) distinction, and (5) differences. Twenty-four equity keywords were identified and grouped into seven categories: (1) equality, (2) accessibility, (3) accommodation, (4) inequality, (5) legality, (6) security, and (7) opportunity. Finally, 52 inclusion keywords were identified and grouped into six groups: (1) harmony, (2) support, (3) communication, (4) vitality, (5) participation, and (6) independence. This study provides insights for developing strategies to enhance DEI at future para-sport events.

This study’s purpose is to apply social exchange theory to examine the causal relationship between local residents’ perceptions and their support for hosting sports events, thereby deriving implications for more effective hosting of sporting events. An online survey was administered to residents of Fukuoka City, the host city of the 2023 World Swimming Championships. Data were collected in two waves: the first from May 16 to 20, 2023, 2 months before the event, and the second from January 25 to 26, 2024, 6 months after the event. Of the 350 collected responses, 253 (85.5%) were retained for the final analysis after excluding 97 for insincere responses. The survey measured residents’ perceptions across five dimensions: economic, sociocultural, living environment, behavioral intention, and event support. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results showed that sociocultural perceptions significantly influenced support both before and after the event. Similarly, behavioral intentions were found to influence event support across both time points. These findings highlight the central role of sociocultural factors. If residents are dissatisfied with such sociocultural exchanges, negative perceptions may emerge, leading to reduced cooperation and support for future events.

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors associated with experiences after severe sports injuries, known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). A total of 54 female soccer players (38 from the Japan Women’s Football League and 16 from the U-18 category) were asked to respond to a questionnaire survey. This survey included questions on demographic characteristics, sports injuries, and the Expanded version of the PTG Inventory (PTGI-X). The most common injury was anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Thirty-four players reported engaging in conditioning routines, primarily nutritional management and injury prevention training, whereas sleep management was reported by only a few. Additionally, the majority of players reported receiving social support, particularly from trainers and medical personnel. Multiple regression analysis was performed, with demographics and sports injury-related items as predictors, and the PTGI-X mean score as the dependent variable, with a significance level of 5%. The results revealed that the model was significant (R²=.357, p<.001), and higher PTGI-X scores were significantly associated with three variables: high psychological impact (β=.321, p=.009), surgical history (β=.294, p=.015), and injury during a match (β=.284, p=.018). Other factors such as training content, nutrition management, and sleep management, did not show significant associations with the PTGI-X scores. Furthermore, comparisons of the PTG five domains showed that scores for Relating to Others, New Possibilities, and Personal Strength were particularly high, whereas Spiritual and Existential Change was significantly lower than the other four domains (p<.001). Future study should examine how psychological and social resources may enable players to transform their experiences of severe sports injuries into PTG, especially when the athletic identity, which must have been cultivated through years of effort, was challenged, as it may play a pivotal role in PTG.

This paper examines the process of technical transition and the transferability of techniques in artistic gymnastics, based on case studies of dismount techniques on the men’s horizontal bar and the women’s uneven bars. The developmental process is exemplified by the “Chinese- style swing” on the men’s horizontal bar. This swing, first announced by the gymnast Tong Fei in the late 1970s, was initially regarded as his personal, specialized skill. It took more than fifteen years before it came to be universally accepted in Japan as a target technique. This demonstrates the existence of a time lag between the initial presentation of a technique and its eventual recognition as a general validity across various practice settings. Next, to verify the potential for transferring this rational men’s technique to the women’s uneven bars, the study analyzes cases in which the Chinese-style swing was introduced into women’s gymnastics. While the technique shows potential for enhancing dismount performance on the uneven bars, its mainstream adoption has been significantly hampered by apparatus-specific constraints—particularly the presence of the “low bar.” These constraints do not merely involve the physical risk of contact, but require a transformation of the motor technique itself, as well as the management of psychological and developmental factors. Because successful execution requires highly advanced movements to avoid contact and repeated readjustment of kinesthetic sense in response to physical growth, the technique has not yet been established as a standard instructional target in junior-level coaching. The paper concludes that historical research on technical development is crucial for predicting future technical trends. It remains necessary to continue examining whether swing techniques on the uneven bars will eventually converge into a single direction, like those in men’s gymnastics, or whether they will remain diverse due to the inherent constraint of the “other bar.” To do so, we must continually question the meaning of the essential characteristic of technique as being valid “for the time being” from the perspective of cross-generational instruction.

As harassment, such as power harassment and sexual harassment, in competitive sports has become a serious social problem in Japan in recent years, there is a need to develop educational approaches to protect the integrity of athletes. This study developed educational materials to promote awareness of harassment issues among top athletes and verify the effectiveness of these materials. To help athletes understand their behavior more objectively and to be more aware of what might be perceived as harassment, teaching materials on “sexual harassment” and “power harassment” situations were developed to educate them on perception differences. Then, a training session was conducted with top athletes to evaluate the teaching materials, and pre- and post-questionnaire surveys were conducted for individual and group events. This analysis revealed significant differences in the mean scores for “awareness of sexual harassment and power harassment” in both individual and group events. In addition, significant differences were found in “relevance of sexual harassment and power harassment to oneself” in the individual category. This suggests that these materials had raised athletes’ awareness of the parties involved in harassment issues.