Sports Day

On October 12, 2026, Japan celebrates Sports Day. Now observed on the second Monday of October, the holiday was established to commemorate the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Sport brings people and nations together through perseverance, skill, mutual respect, and support. Ukrainian athletes continue to achieve outstanding results on the world stage.

Andriy Shevchenko won the Ballon d’Or in 2004. With AC Milan, he won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 and twice finished as Serie A’s top scorer.

Oleksandr Usyk became the undisputed world champion in two weight divisions: cruiserweight in 2018 and heavyweight in 2024, unifying the titles of all four major organisations—WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF. His achievements also include an Olympic gold medal at London 2012.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. Earlier that year, on July 7 at the Paris Diamond League meeting, she set a women’s high jump world record of 2.10 metres, surpassing a mark that had stood since 1987.

Viktoriia Onopriienko won the hoop gold medal at the 2023 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

Ten-year-old gymnast Oleksandra Paskal offers another example of determination. At the age of six, she lost a leg in a russian missile strike on the Odesa region in May 2022. Following treatment and rehabilitation, she returned to training with a prosthetic limb. On July 31, 2026, she performed in Tokyo as part of the international Dance of Freedom tour, sharing the experiences of Ukrainian children whose lives have been changed by war.

In 2023, at the age of 14, Ihor Samunenkov fulfilled the requirements for the grandmaster title. Once his title was confirmed, he became the world’s youngest grandmaster at the time. At the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, he won the individual gold medal on board four, finishing ahead of reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju on performance rating.

In sumo, Danylo Yavhusishyn, known by his ring name Aonishiki Arata, has achieved remarkable success. He arrived in Japan in April 2022, aged 18, after fleeing the war. By October 2026, at the age of 22, he had won the Emperor’s Cup three times and reached the prestigious rank of ozeki.

Japan supports Ukrainian sport through practical action, hosting Ukrainian athletes and para-athletes for training camps and helping them take part in international competitions. Through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), it also supports the provision of robotic rehabilitation equipment for people affected by the war in Ukraine. The Japanese government joined international statements supporting restrictions on russian and belarusian participation in international sport and expressing solidarity with Ukrainian athletes.

We express our deep gratitude to Japan for its solidarity and support for Ukrainian sport. We also thank Ukrainian athletes who continue to train and represent their country with distinction amid the war russia has waged against Ukraine since 2014 and the full-scale invasion launched in 2022.