Tokyo Metropolitan University and KEI Issta Real Estate launch Deaf Sports Caravan

Tokyo Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Health and Welfare has partnered with the KEI Challenge Athlete Team, part of the KEI Issta Real Estate Group, to host a series of five “Deaf Sports School Caravan” events across Tokyo. The program targets elementary, junior high, high school, and university students to promote understanding of hearing impairments and Deaf sports.

Led by silver medalists from the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, including women’s soccer coach Noriki Yamamoto, the workshops include lectures on hearing loss, communication training through sign language and gesture games, and Deaf futsal experiences. In these mini-games, participants play using only visual information, with referees using flags instead of whistles to facilitate teamwork without sound.

The initiative serves as a promotional effort for the 21st Winter Deaflympics scheduled to be held in Austria in January 2027. Previous sessions were held at Okutama Junior High School and Jinnan Elementary School, with upcoming sessions planned for Musashigaoka High School, Tokyo立立川学園 (Tachikawa Gakuen), and the Tokyo Metropolitan University Minami-Osawa Campus.