Welcome to the East Asian Sport Sociology Forum 2027 !!

Tetsuo Nishiyama, Ph.D. Congress President of EASSF 2027   Faculty of Health and Well-being Kansai University

It is a pleasure for me to invite you to the 2nd East Asian Sport Sociology Forum (EASSF) that will take place in Tokyo, from February 26 to 28, 2027. The organizing committee members are currently working hard to welcome you all in person and facilitate keynote speech, panel sessions and the face-to-face meetings of cutting-edge researchers and curious students. They are also planning to add various academic events (including excursions, if possible) before and after the forum. Please, follow the upcoming news at our website for any updates.

The theme for this forum has been decided as follows. “The Role of Sport in Tackling Social Issues: Lessons from East Asia.” Under this theme, we would like to explore the following topics: class, community / regional revitalization, environmental sustainability, e-sport, gender, globalization, nationalism, Olympics and mega sport events, race, (social) media, sports for the disabled (para sports), sport organizations and governance, sport tourism, theories of sport sociology in east Asia, and so forth. The lively discussions on these topics we will have with people from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan—as well as from around the world—are sure to yield fruitful results for the future

We look forward to seeing you all next February at the wonderful venue of Meiji University’s Surugadai campus!

 

Keiko Nakae, Ph.D. Oranizing Committee Chair of EASSF 2027   School of Arts and Letters Meiji University

It is my greatest pleasure to welcome you all to the East Asian Sport Sociology Forum, to be held at Meiji University (Tokyo) at the end of February 2027, as spring arrives.

The area surrounding Meiji University is home to many sites where modern sports in Japan originated. For example, baseball was introduced to Japan from the United States in 1872, and the site where this took place is just a 10-minute walk from the conference venue (a monument now stands at that location). Volleyball and basketball were first demonstrated at the YMCA in 1908, marking the beginning of their spread in Japan, and that site is about a 10-minute walk from Meiji University (the YMCA has since relocated). Furthermore, in 1929, the YWCA opened Japan’s first women-only swimming pool; it was an indoor heated pool from the very beginning and still stands today right in front of Meiji University.   I am deeply moved to welcome sports sociologists from across Asia and around the world to these historic sites! I simply can’t help but feel that a new page in history is about to be written here once again.

There has never been a time when sports have captured the fervent interest of people around the world quite like today. We sport sociologists are called upon not to view sports merely as political tools or economic commodities, but to reflect on their meaning and social responsibility, and to strive for a better life and society for humanity. Furthermore, while we deeply respect the fact that sports originated in European culture, we are now seeking a new vision for sports that moves beyond that history and embraces a greater diversity of values. In this context, I am convinced that, together, we are in a position to propose new values and possibilities for sports—rooted in Asia, yet reaching out from Asia to the world.

This is by no means an easy task, but I believe that as our circle of colleagues—with whom we can think through and discuss these issues—continues to grow, we will be able to make progress, even if only little by little.

Now, everyone! Let’s gather at the East Asian Sport Sociology Forum and enjoy these exciting challenges together.  I sincerely look forward to welcoming many of you there.