Kyushu International University Associate Professor Shinya Kawawaki, Ph.D., and Okayama University of Science Vice President Keiji Hata, Ph.D. pose for a photo at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan a day before competing in the Saipan Marathon on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
THE annual Saipan Marathon is a prime example of sports tourism, drawing 512 participants from nine countries and territories on Saturday.
Among the participants were Okayama University of Science Vice President Keiji Hata, Ph.D., and Kyushu International University Associate Professor Shinya Kawawaki, Ph.D. Hata competed in the 10K event while Kawawaki joined the 5K run.
In an interview with Variety, Hata shared his thoughts on sports tourism.
Hata is part of the University Network for Global Leadership Development, which is made up of 20 universities in western Japan. He said they create and implement training programs in their country and abroad to develop university students’ leadership and related skills.
But Hata said his prior connection with Saipan was not due to the university, but to soccer.
In 2011, Hata said he was on Saipan along with several university students to visit local schools and play soccer with the help of the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association and the local soccer community. He said they also participated in kendo and swimming events while on Saipan.
Sinc then, Hata has visited Saipan over 20 times, 10 of them with several students.
He said their group’s Leadership Challenge on Saipan program is now in its 12th iteration — including two online exchanges during the pandemic.
In 2020, they had friendlies against the NMI’s girls U17 and co-ed U14 players at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville as part of the visiting group’s nearly week-long activities on Saipan.
In 2023, after a two-year hiatus, 25 students and eight faculty members from Ehime University, Okayama University of Science, and Kyoto University of Foreign Studies took part in the program that ran from March 5 to 10.
They played friendly soccer games against NMI players and participated in cultural exchange activities at Dandan Middle School, San Vicente Elementary School, Francisco M. Sablan Middle School, William S. Reyes Elementary School, and Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School.
During his first visit to the island, Hata said the soccer field — now known as the NMI Soccer Training Center — was “not good.”
He said he is impressed by the improvement of the facility and its field since then. He also visited the Oleai Sports Complex on Thursday. “I’ve seen significant improvements at the Oleai Sports Complex after it was damaged by two strong typhoons in the past. It’s really good to have this kind of well-maintained facility for the residents and visitors to use for different activities. When we bring students to Saipan next year, we hope to utilize the Oleai Sports Complex facilities for our events.” Hata said.
He believes that sports tourism can greatly benefit the island.
Every tourist who visits Saipan feels welcomed, Hata said, adding that some of his best friends are from the island.
He said Saipan’s nature and scenery are also very alluring and that marine sports such as scuba diving and fishing derbies should be another focus of sports tourism.
