Materiality
Improving physical fitness and athletic abilities of children

The physical strength and athletic ability of children are continually declining around the world due to the advancement of the information society. This decline in children's physical strength may not only affect the future health of the next generation but also impact the vitality of society as a whole by leading to an increase in medical expenses. Efforts are desired at all levels of society, including educational institutions and families, to address this issue.

In Japan, the decline in children's physical strength and athletic ability is believed to be due to the following factors: 1) a decrease in accessible and safe outdoor areas where children can play safely whenever they want; 2) the underdevelopment of basic athletic skills that should be acquired during childhood; and 3) children's reluctance or lack of confidence in sports. Mizuno puts effort into developing and offering an exercise program that aims to help children improve their athletic ability and physical strength.

Mizuno has developed "Hexathlon," a program combining playful exercise menus that allow even children who are not good at sports to enjoy learning basic athletic movements, with an athletic ability measurement test. In collaboration with municipalities across Japan, Mizuno provides the program to various facilities, including elementary schools. "Hexathlon" is designed using Mizuno's original equipment, which takes into consideration safety and functionality, and allows children to acquire the basic actions of "running," "jumping," and "throwing," tailored to their individual abilities. By offering the location, program, and services as a package, it has become possible to connect children's enjoyment with the steady improvement of their physical strength and athletic abilities.

Improving children's physical fitness and athletic abilities requires them to become accustomed to physical activity from a young age and overcome any reluctance or lack of confidence in sports.

Mizuno's experienced staff, rich in sports knowledge, act as instructors and conduct programs such as "Mizuno Sports School" and "Sports Day Victory School" in various locations. These programs are designed to overcome basic movements that should be learned in early childhood through short, concentrated efforts, and by letting children experience the joy of exercise, aim to increase the number of children who enjoy physical activity.

For children who struggle with sports, Mizuno started the "Overcoming Weakness Classroom Series" in the fiscal year 2022, including classes for overcoming challenges with jumping boxes, mats, and horizontal bars, along with a Mizuno rope-jumping class. The focus of the rope-jumping class is not necessarily on "jumping well," but rather on creating a love for "enjoying jumping," with the initiative centered around playful exercise.

Additionally, Mizuno offers a playful exercise program called "PLAY! CIRCUS" for children aged 3 to 5 and their parents. "PLAY! CIRCUS" is a 60-minute program set in the world of the circus where the children become members of the circus troupe and enjoy activities with the ringmaster and clowns, incorporating movements that are appropriate for their age group.

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. Moreover, the country’s exercise programs lack variety and need to better incorporate basic movements such as running, jumping, and throwing.

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

Additionally, in October of the same year, Mizuno and the Ministry of Education and Training officially signed a memorandum of cooperation to introduce and establish the Mizuno Hexathlon in the new curriculum guidelines. This cooperation allowed for the creation of model cases across Vietnam, demonstrating how the Hexathlon could be implemented and integrated into the educational system. From December onwards, Mizuno began promoting the program's introduction across all 63 provinces in Vietnam.

By the end of 2019, about 1,700 elementary school teachers had participated in workshops aimed at training instructors, enabling them to teach the Mizuno Hexathlon in their respective schools, thereby reaching numerous students.

Although large-scale workshops were suspended from March 2020 onwards due to COVID-19, reports indicate that local teachers who had previously participated in the workshops continued to incorporate the Mizuno Hexathlon into their physical education classes.

In June 2022, Mizuno received a special commendation from the Vietnamese Presidential Office for this initiative.

As of January 2023, the Mizuno Hexathlon was introduced as an extracurricular activity in 200 schools across Vietnam's 63 provinces (126 public schools and 74 private schools). Given that there are approximately 15,000 public elementary schools in Vietnam, Mizuno has been engaged in discussions with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training since early 2023 on how to integrate the Mizuno Hexathlon into the compulsory education curriculum. This led to the signing of a new memorandum of cooperation in October 2023, witnessed by ministers from both countries. Mizuno will continue to accelerate its efforts in this initiative.

For details on the memorandum of cooperation signed in October 2023, please refer to this link.

We will continue to spread the joy of engaging in sports and the pleasure of physical activity among Vietnamese children. By leveraging the power of sports, we aim to address social challenges and work towards the achievement of 'Sports SDGs.' We remain committed to advancing this initiative.

Please refer to the following link for information about the special commendation awarded by the Vietnamese Presidential Office."
Link: (https://corp.mizuno.com/jp/news-release/2022/20220627)

To help create an environment where children can play livelily, Mizuno puts effort into cultivating Mizuno Play Leaders, whose job is to watch children while they play on their own initiative. Mizuno offers play-based basic exercise training programs designed to help companies, universities, governments, and educational institutions, which have many opportunities to interact with children, acquire the basic knowledge and skills needed to be certified as Play Leaders. Mizuno puts effort into promoting its training programs internally and externally, and so far it has helped about 700 people across the nation become Play Leaders. Play Leaders devote themselves to interacting with children, winning children’s trust and protecting them when necessary.

	In-house	Outside	Total
Grade 1	4	0	4
Grade 2	31	5	36
Grade 3	346	774	1,120
Total	381	779	1,160

Children today are said to lack spaces to play in, friends to play with, and time to play. In addition, parents are often heard saying that they do not know how they should play with their own children.

Mizuno puts effort into helping create an environment where children can play livelily and also puts effort into cultivating Mizuno Play Leaders, whose job is to look after children playing.

The job of a Play Leader is to come up with fun ideas and exercises that children will greatly enjoy and create an environment where children can play with one another on their own initiative. To help children grow with a healthy mentality and body through enjoying play-based exercises, Mizuno will put effort into promoting its Play Leader program internally and externally.

In addition, it will put effort into creating opportunities for Play Leaders to demonstrate their skills. In order to do so, Mizuno will put effort into having as many people as possible find out about its Play Leader program, and to do so, it will identify what issues there may be in promoting its Play Leader program and also inform parents about its Play Leader system. To have as many people as possible find out about its Play Leader system, Mizuno will promote its system by offering play-based exercise programs and events.