Big Snow Cup: An initiative aimed at addressing issues faced by local governments

In collaboration with Kamikawa Town, Hokkaido, Mizuno recently hosted the “Big Snow Cup.” This community revitalization event features Baseball5, which is attracting attention as a new type of urban sport.

Baseball5 is a new five-a-side, five-inning sport inspired by baseball and softball. It can be easily enjoyed anywhere - all you need is one rubber ball.

▼See here for more about Baseball5
https://www.baseball5.jp/

The event included two categories: the Official Cup for serious players, and the Family Cup aimed at enjoyable participation. A total of 29 teams entered, with over 300 people (including spectators) attending on the day.
Event guests included former professional baseball player Tomochika Tsuboi and three current members of the Baseball5 Japan national team, adding to the huge excitement on the day.

Kamikawa Town and Mizuno jointly drew up the plans for this event while aiming to address three main social issues.

1. Changing the current circumstances in which children do not have choices
In some parts of Japan, factors such as the declining birthrate have meant drastically fewer opportunities for children to experience team sports. This initiative aimed to alleviate the sense of “I can’t do it even if I wanted” and create a sense of “I can freely choose what I want to do.”

2. Increasing opportunities for interaction across generations and communities
Connections with other people are critical for increasing choices in life. This event aimed to create new connections by welcoming mixed-age teams and encouraging participants from communities outside Kamikawa.

3. Increasing opportunities to use baseball skills in winter
Playing baseball in winter is not easy in snowy Hokkaido. However, as Baseball5 can be played anywhere, this event aimed to create a new model for using baseball skills in winter.

As well as the Baseball5 competition, this event included elements aimed at baseball players such as pitch and swing speed measurement. Other activities included workshops to make small accessories from baseball glove leather scraps, kinetic vision measurement, and walking measurement, making it an event not only the Baseball5 participants, but everyone who attended could enjoy.

across communities and generations. At Mizuno, we believe that sports have tremendous power to bring out the potential in people and communities. By continuing to provide not only tangible products but also intangibles such as places to be active and programs to engage in, we aim to create opportunities to engage in sports in a wide range of communities, address social issues, and create a sustainable society.