Aomori hosts 80th National Sports Festival

The 80th National Sports Festival, known as ‘Ao no Kirameki Aomori Kokuspo’, is set to begin in Aomori Prefecture. For the first time in history, the general opening ceremony will be held indoors, utilizing light, sound, and video to showcase the region.

To highlight local culture, the festival will use traditional materials for awards. Certificates will be crafted from handmade paper incorporating local apples and pruned cherry blossom branches from Hirosaki Park. Award frames will be made from Aomori Hiba wood and decorated with traditional crafts such as Tsugaru Kogin-zashi and Nanbu Hishi-zashi.

Prior to the official opening, pre-event competitions took place on October 8 at the Hachinohe Cycling Track. In the women’s team sprint, Enon Muroya and Nanrai Maruko of Hachinohe Gakuin University placed fourth. Other local athletes, including Rui Udagawa, Hyoto Kuji, Yuu Sasaki, and Shoya Yoshida, advanced through various cycling heats in scratch, keirin, and point races.