Current students and graduates of our university paid a courtesy visit to Junichi Kawai, Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency, as representatives of the World Cheerleading Championships.
On Wednesday, July 15, Yoshio Otani (3rd year, Faculty of Economics), a current student at our university, and Takeshi Shibata (graduated from the Faculty of Letters in March 2026), a graduate of our university, paid a courtesy visit to Junichi Kawai, Director General of the Sports Agency, to report the results of the "2026 FISU (Moscow International University Sports Federation) World University Cheerleading Championships" held in Gothenburg, Sweden from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7.
At this event, one current student and one graduate from Soka University's HIPHOP team "SWDC," which includes 18 current university students, and the dance team "WORLD WINGS," composed of current and alumni from our university, competed, winning gold medals in two performance cheerleading events: "University Hip Hop" and "University Hip Hop Doubles."
For more details and updates about the event, please see the news below.
During the visit, Ms. Ohtani and Ms. Shibata attended as representatives of the medal-winning Japanese national team. They reported on the results of the World Championships, shared their impressions of the tournament, and spoke about their future aspirations. Director-General Kawai offered words of encouragement, saying, "The experience you gained at the World Championships is invaluable. I am also pleased that you are not keeping it as a personal asset, but are looking even further ahead."
[Comments from Ohtani and Shibata]
・ Ansei Otani (3rd year, Faculty of Economics)
"I was very nervous, but it was a great honor to visit. Up until now, I have always strived to create dance that gives courage and hope, constantly battling against myself. I am filled with gratitude to everyone who supported me, including my family, friends, and university professors, and to have achieved results on the world stage. It has become a great asset to me. I was also encouraged to be able to convey the team's journey and feelings to Director Kawai and to see that he was pleased. I will use this experience on the world stage as motivation to continue working hard towards Soka University's construction and my own dreams!"
・Takeshi Shibata (Graduated from the Faculty of Letters in March 2026)
"I was so happy to be able to report that we achieved first place in the world championships. It was a very valuable time to speak with Director-General Kawai about the future of performance cheerleading. I will continue to grow as a pioneer in spreading the charm and potential of performance cheerleading throughout Japan!"