NAIST Sports Day (June 9th 2023)

 A sports day event was held on June 9th for all NAIST faculty, staff and students. This event was proposed and held by a NAIST Ambassador with the help of CISS to organize and prepare. To facilitate interaction between international and Japanese students, faculty and staff and promote mental and physical health. through outdoor exercise. As the event began, over 40 students, both Japanese and international, and a few faculty members were divided into 4 different teams for the day.

 Robert King (UEA) of CISS opened the event with a few words and warnings about the heat and staying hydrated throughout the event, but quickly passed the mic to Joshua Philippe Olorocisimo, the International Student Ambassador who proposed the event, and Ayun Erwina Arifianti, the head of GSK. (an extracurricular activities group that offers support for students and also holds student events) They then explained the 3 events that were planned and broke everyone up into their teams.

 The first game, Capture the Flag, kicked off the event and participants listened to the somewhat complicated rules of the game and then ran practice runs to get used to their position and what they had to do. With offensive runners who try to take the flags, defense that attacks these runners with squirt guns and defense to protect the flags, getting used to the fast-paced game and developing an effective strategy took some time but all the teams performed well. With payers trying to drench their opponents and the ground being wet from the previous day, many participants slid around as they played and spectators laughed and enjoyed watched everyone put their best foot forward.

 Following Capture the Flag, student organizers pulled out a large rope and explained the rules of Tug of War and teams got together to practice and line up in the best way possible. The teams were not necessarily chosen considering peoples' strength, but everyone tried their best and you could hear people shouting as they pulled with all their might.

 At this point it was quite hot, so everyone took a break for drinks and some students picked up the squirt guns used in Capture the Flag, spraying each other to stay cool. The last part of the event was a scavenger hunt where students had to find Nasura (the NAIST mascot) stickers that were put in areas around the campus. Hints about where the stickers are were sent out via a Twitter (X) account and teams rushed to get the stickers, as the first team to get the sticker got the most points.

 Once the scavenger hunt was finished, the organizers tallied up the points and got everyone together to announce the results. The winning team got a trophy and snacks for their hard work, but everyone enjoyed the day and their time together. Group photos were taken and everyone cooperated in cleaning up the grounds.

 This kind of student-run event had a different atmosphere compared to staff-run events, with students taking initiative and communicating to people outside of their usual circles, and the participation and cooperation of international and Japanese students was increased.

 At CISS, we hope to see more students come forward with ideas for events on campus and look forward to giving them support and advice to hold successful events, which is also a valuable learning experience.