[Special Feature: The COVID-19 Crisis and the University] Athletic Association Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic / Nobuto Yamamoto

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has spread since the winter of 2020, has also affected the activities of the Keio University Athletic Association. The current Keio University Athletic Association consists of 43 clubs and 59 departments, all of which experienced a suspension of activities from late February through May. Nevertheless, with the full support and guidance of the Juku and the Mita Athletic Association (the alumni organization), we have managed to overcome this difficult situation and have entered a phase of resuming activities, albeit with restrictions.

The organization of the Athletic Association is as follows. The President serves as the Chairman, followed by the Vice-President in charge of the Athletic Association and the Director of the Athletic Association. The Board of Directors consists of the Director, Assistant Directors, and the Vice Principal. Athletic Association offices are established in Mita and Hiyoshi. Student representatives organize the Athletic Association Headquarters and coordinate with the offices to ensure the smooth implementation of each club's activities. The Mita Athletic Association, composed of alumni organizations from each club, provides comprehensive support, including supervision and guidance for current club activities.

In this way, the Athletic Association has continued its unique activities within the Juku as a loose organizational body. Its history already spans 128 years. Furthermore, the basic stance of the Athletic Association is to respect the independent judgment and activities of each club.

From the stage when the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic was still unclear, the Athletic Association has made its stance clear, prioritizing the health, safety, and peace of mind of club members and stakeholders, as well as the prevention of the spread of infection, in accordance with the policies of the Juku. On February 28, the Athletic Association issued a "Request for Self-Restraint in Athletic Association Activities (Response to COVID-19)." This followed the Juku's decision to cancel or postpone events, and requested that "for the time being, meetings such as training camps and farewell parties be canceled."

One month later, on March 27, a second report titled "Regarding Athletic Association Activities on Weekends" was issued. Following the worsening situation, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's request on March 25 to refrain from non-essential outings on weekends, the Athletic Association "requested that each club conduct activities cautiously based on their own judgment." At this point, many clubs had already decided to suspend their activities.

Four days later, on March 31, the "Future Activities of the Athletic Association (Request) (3rd Report)" was distributed. This led to the difficult decision to "change the policy to, in principle, suspend all activities for the time being," taking the form of a strong request to each club.

The 4th report, dated April 29, was titled "Response of the Athletic Association Office Regarding the Extension of the Campus Facility Closure Period and Future Athletic Association Activities." Behind this was the Juku's decision on April 28 to extend the closure of campus facilities, which had originally been set from April 7 to May 6, for the time being beyond May 7.

At the end of May, two months after the suspension of Athletic Association activities, the fifth report, "Toward Athletic Association Activities After the Lifting of the State of Emergency," was issued. On May 27, the Keio University COVID-19 Response Headquarters announced that within Keio facilities essential for maintaining educational and research activities would be opened for use in stages starting June 8. In line with this principle, the Athletic Association requested that each club and department create individual policies for resuming activities. This document clearly stated precautions before and after activities, as well as guidelines for dealing with suspected or confirmed infections.

From late May to early June, each club and department presented a roadmap for resuming activities in a manner consistent with the characteristics of their respective sports. In each roadmap, one could clearly see the traces of current members, managers, coaches, and alumni organizations pooling their wisdom. The Athletic Association carefully reviewed all documents and made judgments on whether activities could resume, resume with conditions, or not resume.

The criteria for judgment were: (1) use of within Keio facilities, (2) outdoor vs. indoor sports, (3) contact sports, (4) official match schedules, and (5) the specificity of infection control measures. Among these, the clubs using within Keio facilities took the most time to coordinate. Even so, with special consideration from the Juku, although it was not possible for all clubs to resume activities at once, by mid-July, all clubs had reached the point of resuming activities under certain restrictions. On July 5, the Men's Association Football (Soccer) Club began participating in league matches.

On July 3, an online managers' meeting was held to share the challenges of sports activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a keynote lecture by Professor Hiroyuki Ishida of the Juku Sports Medicine Research Center, detailed and clear points regarding infection prevention were provided.

However, in response to the worsening infection situation in the Tokyo metropolitan area, on July 12, we were forced to issue the painful announcement "Regarding the Prohibition of Summer Training Camps in the Athletic Association." This was also in response to the Juku's guidelines, but knowing the importance of summer camps for the fall season, it was a heart-wrenching decision.

University sports are condensed into four years. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, one-eighth of that time was forced into a suspension of activities. Furthermore, the schedules for official matches for each sporting organization toward the second half of the year are not yet clear. The realization of the traditional periodic matches against our ally, Waseda, also remains uncertain. Nevertheless, the members of the Athletic Association continue their daily training, preparing for the day they will fight as representatives of Keio University.