Promotion of Sports and Education

Mizuno has developed “Hexathlon,” a program that combines exercise-based play menus with physical fitness assessments, designed to help even children who are less confident in sports enjoy learning fundamental movements. The program is offered in partnership with local governments across Japan and delivered to various facilities, including elementary schools.
“Hexathlon” utilizes Mizunoʼs original equipment, developed with a focus on safety and functionality, and is structured to help children acquire basic physical movements, running, jumping, and throwing, at their own pace and ability level. By providing an integrated package of space, program, and service, Hexathlon enables children to enjoy movement while steadily improving their physical strength and motor skills.

Mizuno has developed its own multi-sport program, “MISPO!”, with the aim of promoting children's healthy physical development, critical thinking, and ability to cooperate with others. The program officially launched in April 2024 at four designated public sports facilities (three in Tokyo and one in Osaka).

Targeting first to third grade elementary school students, the program allows children to experience ten different sports, including baseball, tennis, table tennis, and judo, on a rotating weekly basis. Mizuno provides all the necessary equipment, and certified instructors known as “Mizuno Play Leaders” support the children in developing autonomy and teamwork.

At the end of each session, children reflect on what they have learned and record their own insights and progress. Through special events featuring parent-child MISPO! experiences and assessments of non-cognitive skills, Mizuno carefully communicates each childʼs growth and development process to parents.

To help children improve their physical strength and motor skills, it is important to encourage physical activity from an early age and help them overcome any aversion to sports.

Mizuno runs programs such as the “Mizuno Sports School” and the “Sports Day Victory School,” led by experienced Mizuno staff with extensive knowledge of sports. These programs are held in various locations and aim to help children develop basic motor skills through short-term, intensive instruction, allowing them to experience the joy of movement and fostering a love for physical activity.

In addition, through programs that encourage parents and children to enjoy physical activity together, Mizuno helps children experience the fun of movement, develop positive attitudes and exercise habits, promote communication between parents and children, and support healthy development.

Mizuno has been working to promote its Mizuno Hexathlon Exercise Program in Vietnam since 2015. In Vietnam, physical education during the compulsory school years receives significantly less time compared to developed countries. In addition, physical education programs have tended to be standardized, with insufficient emphasis on fundamental sports movements such as running, jumping, and throwing.

In September 2018, Mizuno concluded an agreement with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to introduce the Mizuno Hexathlon into the new curriculum guidelines and provided sports equipment to 1,000 elementary schools throughout Vietnam.

Additionally, in October of the same year, Mizuno and the Ministry of Education and Training signed a memorandum of cooperation regarding the introduction and establishment of the program, while promoting the creation of model cases throughout the country. Following this agreement, Mizuno began activities to promote the program across all 63 provinces in Vietnam from December 2018 onward.

By the end of 2019, approximately 1,700 elementary school teachers had participated in instructor training workshops. Through instruction at their respective schools, many children have since taken part in physical education classes incorporating the Mizuno Hexathlon Exercise Program.

Although large-scale in-person activities were suspended from March 2020 onwards due to the spread of COVID-19, participating teachers have continued to implement the program in their classes throughout the country.

In June 2022, this initiative was recognized by the Vietnamese government, and Mizuno received a special commendation from the Vietnamese Presidential Office.

As of January 2023, the Mizuno Hexathlon had been introduced as an extracurricular activity at 200 schools across Vietnam's 63 provinces (126 public schools and 74 private and other schools). Given that there are approximately 15,000 public elementary schools in Vietnam, Mizuno has been working with the Ministry of Education and Training to explore the integration of the program into compulsory education. As a result, a new memorandum of cooperation was signed in October 2023 in the presence of ministers from both Japan and Vietnam.

https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/activity/detail/2023/20231011.html

Building on these initiatives, Mizuno has in recent years advanced concrete activities aimed at the full-scale introduction of the program into compulsory education.