Asian Games: How Tsukuba University Can be a Role Model For India’s Sports Colleges

Tokyo, Oct 25: Ten days before India's athletics contingent went to Aichi-Nagoya for the Asian Games, it took part in an acclimatization-cum-bonding camp at Tsukuba University. It was part of the Union sports ministry's plans with the Athletics Federation of India to give the athletes the best preparation ahead of the Games. Easily reachable in an hour by train from Tokyo's Akihabara station, famous for its electronics market, University of Tsukuba is attempting to play a stellar role in the future management of Indian sports administration.

The Indian athletics camp ahead of the Asian Games at Aichi-Nagoya came at the back of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2016 between the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, represented by the Sports Authority of India, and the University of Tsukuba, established by the government of Japan, to promote and strengthen bilateral relations through sports. Building on this MOU, SAI and Tsukuba signed a fresh three-year MOU in June 2026 to boost athlete and coach development, sports science, research, and high-performance programmes. The partnership was aimed at supporting India's preparations for the Asian Games 2026, Commonwealth Games 2030, and long-term Olympic ambitions.

The University of Tsukuba lives on the tagline "Imagine the future." Arguably Japan's world-leading research hub, to promote harmonious coexistence among all humankind, the institution, which provides interdisciplinary education and research, aims to nurture tomorrow's global leaders through a broad-ranging pursuit of academic excellence. As part of its diversification, the Tsukuba International Academy for Sports Studies was established in the wake of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The University has since become a premier global hub for sports science, physical education and athletic development. Its historical legacy is well established after being founded as the National School of Gymnastics in 1878. The University's physical education lineage is closely linked to Jigoro Kano, considered to be the founder of judo and Asia's first member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The well-manicured and tree-lined University campus is like any top IIT campus in India but a massive portion is dedicated for comprehensive and professional sports activities. Apart from a full-size multi-sport field with a synthetic track, it has space for popular games like baseball, tennis, judo and swimming among others. Research and educational hubs, fully equipped medical centres and a museum capt, capturing its gl,orious past give Tsukuba its sporty aura.

"What I found particularly impressive is the way Tsukuba creates a culture where academic and sporting excellence reinforce each other rather than compete with each other," says Sachin K, a SAI deputy director doing his Masters in Sport and Olympic Studies. Having worked closely in the SAI ecosystem and as head at the National Centre of Excellence for Boxing in Rohtak, Sachin is quick to understand why Tsukuba throws a telling punch at knowledge development.

What captures maximum attention are the faculty members. It's a who's who of sports in Japan. Imagine a 12-time Olympic medallist walking into a classroom to teach. Imagine a legendary gymnast, who has an asteroid named after him, as your mentor. Sawao Kato, widely recognised as one of the most successful Olympic champions in history, is now Professor Emeritus at the University of Tsukuba. Kato served as a professor within the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences and the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences. He transitioned to professor emeritus status upon his retirement from full-time teaching in 2010.

The culture of sports comes naturally at Tsukuba. The list of high-profile sportspersons among the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences is displayed prominently. Kato obviously leads a list of illustrious teachers who include both Olympians (both Summer and Winter Games) and coaches with significant experience and contributions towards Japan's achievements in global sports. Prominent among them are judoka Kaori Yamaguchi, bronze medallist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and Hirotaka Okada, who won a judo bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games.

"Having Olympians among the faculty adds a unique dimension to sports education because they bring together academic knowledge and lived experience at the highest level of competition. For me, the presence of Olympians in the classroom transforms sports education from the transmission of knowledge into the sharing of informed experience. It helps students understand not only what high performance requires, but also how and why excellence is achieved," explains Sachin.

The Tsukuba legacy has been preserved over time. When research and knowledge transform into results, it is an affirmation that the system is credible. The University has produced over 60 Olympians and secured more than 135 combined Olympics and Paralympics medals. Out of these,e there are 41 gold medals won at the Olympics and Paralympics, a phenomenal figure for any University.

India has well-known sports Universities. Prominent among them are the National Sports University (NSU) in Manipur, Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) and the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) in Patiala. NSU is the only central University dedicated to sports and physical education. NSNIS is the academic wing of SAI and a premier coaching institute of Asia. Many states and private universities have sports colleges with various programmes.

Unlike Tsukuba, where research is central to development, in India, the programmes are largely syllabus-driven. Once all the boxes are ticked, a person can become a coach or sports science graduate. That concept is changing in India, with scope for upgradation through scientific research. The new Khelo India Scheme also has well-defined career objectives for Past Champion Athletes who want to be part of a coaching system that also takes care of livelihoods.

The larger lesson from Tsukuba is that a successful sports ecosystem cannot be built through infrastructure and coaching alone. It requires a connected system in which education, research, athletes, coaches, and institutional leadership work towards common goals.

India finished fourth at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a haul of 85 medals, 21 of them being gold. Japan, as hosts, finished runners-up to mighty China. Japan secured more than three times India's tally - 269 medals, with 83 gold. The next Asian Games at Doha and the Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, both in 2030, will be a good time to measure if India's learnings from Tsukuba have been worth the while. Gaining knowledge for a degree is more of a personal pursuit but when that is properly transferred and executed to produce results in global events like the Asian Gam, es and Olympics, the government spending is then truly justified.

The writer is a Senior Sports Editor