Vice-President Swiss Sports PT Association (SSPA)

Former Executive Board Member (2009-2017) of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT)

   

Sapporo - view from Okurayama jumping hill

 

Podium at Sapporo Olympic Museum with Mitsunori Tsumaki (left), ski jumping legend Noriaki Kasai (...as model) and Mario

 

On the next day we went to Eniwa (ca. 26 km south of Sapporo), for a presentation on "Return to Sport" at the Hokkaido College of Medical Sports. This institution is part of the JIKEI Group, which has 68 professional training colleges located in major cities throughout Japan. Students form the Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, Acupuncture and Judo Therapy Schools were present, representing the different education pathways existing in Japan. While judo therapists and acupuncturists are to be considered traditional professions, the (sport) physical therapist is still a young profession in the land of the rising sun.

 

Group picture after the Eniwa lecture. Note that the BJSM cover displayed in the center is the issue featuring the Third World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy!

 

Last December (8-9 Dec, 2018), about 1000 sports PTs gathered to Tokyo (at the Nihon University) for the 5th edition of the Japanese Sports PT Association (an IFSPT Member Organisation), thus confirming the continuous growth of sports PT in Japan.

On the next day (Jan 18) it was a pleasure to meet Mina Samukawa, PhD, PT, Assistant Professor at the PT School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University (the oldest and one of the top universities in Japan). She is one of the most profiled sports PT in her country, having worked as a sports PT at several winter and summer Olympics.

 

Mina in her office at the Hokkaido University

 

Mina also has worked and studied in Whistler and Edmonton (Canada) in the past, before returning home to Sapporo. Her excellent English skills are still something rare among Japanese PTs, which is often a hindrance not only for the communication with foreign fellows PTs, but also in the knowledge update with the scientific literature. This situation is one of the biggest challenges for Japanese PTs ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics Games, especially for those involved in the Polyclinic at the Olympic Village. Dr. Marie-Elaine Grant (IOC Medical Commission, Physiotherapy) and Dr. Masaki Katayose (Sapporo Medical University, Head Physiotherapist for the 2020 Tokyo Organising Committee for the Olympic Games) are working hard in the preparations for this important event.

 

Before leaving Hokkaido, we were able with Mina to enjoy few hours of fantastic powder snow on the slopes at Mount Teine (which was a venue during the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympic Games): a truly unique experience!

View of the Mount Teine ski area, with one of the 1972 commemorative Olympic cauldron (left on photo)

 

Skiing day with Mina at Mt. Teine

 

On the 19th we travelled back to Tokyo, and on the 20th we had a lecture on "Sports Injury Prevention" at the Tokyo College of Medical Sports (JIKEI Group), home of long-time friend Dr. Mitsunori Tsumaki (Athletic Trainer, Acupuncturist), a living legend in Japan. A special mention to this College, who -in this last decade- was instrumental in promoting and disseminating quality sports PT education in both prevention and rehabilitation of sports injuries (Keigo Nakajima, sports PT, is the leading person in this institution).

 

It was also a great pleasure to meet again Prof. Toru Fukubayashi (former Waseda University, currently Tokyo Ariake University), long-time friend and another living legend -and internationally renowned- Japanese sports medicine physician. Toru not only made important contributions in ACL research, but always had a strong leadership in pushing sports injury prevention in Japan, and internationally.

 

Tribute to Prof. Toru Fukubayashi

 

The attendance of an afternoon session ("the 16:00-18:00 Makuuchi bouts") of the first Tokyo "Grand Sumo Tournament" of 2019 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan (the National Sumo Stadium) was a very special invitation by my Japanese friends. As cited in the official leaflet of this event: "A sacred ritual spanning 1500 years, sumo is much more than Japan's de facto national sport. Burly wrestlers still grapple today in a tradition that has remained unchanged since the Edo period". An unforgettable two hours of Sumo, in THE temple of this sport!

Full house (ca. 11.000 spectators) at Ryogoku Kokugikan

Sumo wrestlers in action on the sumo ring (dohyo)

 

As each year, also in 2020 there will be six Sumo tournaments (Tokyo -3-, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka) in Japan... But in 2020 Tokyo will showcase THE number one sporting event worldwide, the Olympic games (the second Summer Olympics, after Tokyo 1960)! The preparations ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics venues are fully ongoing, in typical perfect organized Japanese way, and many stadiums around the Tokyo bay are nearly completed. Along these lines, the Japanese sports PTs are finalizing their preparations towards this fantastic event, which also represent a unique chance for international exchanges and opportunities for all involved people. We wish Mina, Masaki and all Japanese sports PT colleagues all the best in their "road to #Toko2020", and we'll do our best in cooperating to promote internationally the Japanese sports PTs.

 

View of Tokyo, with Mount Fuji in the background, from Tokyo Skytree Tower (634.0 metres, 2,080 ft)

 

Official Tokyo 2020 Olympics official shop at Tokyo Narita airport

 

"Arigatou Gozaimasu" - Thank you, my friends!

with additional bolt-on Friday 29th

St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland  

Tickets from £25

Event Summary: Physios In Sport, in collaboration with the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) and the University of Edinburgh, offer a unique regional event for those dealing with performers whether they be on stage, the ice rink, the slopes, the big top, the pool, the arena. Set in the beautiful Scottish city of Edinburgh with a venue just off the famous royal mile, practitioners from all disciplines - physios, medics, educators, coaches, therapists, scientists and researchers are invited to join the event to discuss the topic of CONTROL.