Supporting Female Athletes to Engage in Sports with More Excitement and Conviction, and to Speak of Their Future with Smiles. The Institute for Female Athletes Fully Supports Them #April Dream

Our organization endorses April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day to express dreams. This press release is the dream of the "Institute for Female Athletes."

The Institute for Female Athletes (Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yoshihiko Kato) aims to operate as a cross-sectional platform to support the sports environment, activity base, and careers of female athletes, collaborating with all stakeholders.

■ Our Vision for Activities

For female athletes to:

Engage in sports with more excitement from now on,
Pursue their sport with conviction, facing themselves sincerely,
Talk about their future with smiles, striving together with their peers,

Members sharing these wishes gathered, and the Institute for Female Athletes was established in December 2024.

The challenges surrounding female athletes are diverse: health themes such as conditioning, nutrition management, and performance improvement; individual rights such as dealing with coaches and career and portrait rights; and sports beauty. Our organization's participating members, utilizing their accumulated specialized knowledge, expertise, and networks, wish to advance by collaborating with stakeholders who support athletes daily and experts in various fields, so that these challenges move in a positive direction for each athlete.

■ The 'New Relationship Building Between Athletes and Coaches' Now Required

Since its establishment in December 2024, we have primarily held six seminars focusing on "conditioning and performance improvement." While these types of seminars will continue as a base for our activities, this year we also plan to develop seminars on themes with a stronger social focus.

As the first in this series, we will hold an online seminar on the theme of 'Dealing with and Building Relationships with Coaches and Teammates' from 8:00 PM on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
This theme is considered a familiar challenge by many athletes. Leading experts in Japan will present valuable insights and tips, along with domestic and international case studies and research findings, for female athletes to build comfortable relationships with coaches, trainers, teammates, and parents, which are crucial for their athletic and daily lives.
The content is open to everyone, including athletes, coaches, and parents, so please feel free to join us.

【8th Monthly Seminar Overview】

"Considering the State of Mutual Respect and Trust Building in Sports Settings - The New Relationship Building Between Athletes and Coaches Now Required"

■ Date & Time: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

■ Lecturer: Professor Kyoko Raita (Vice President, Chukyo University; Professor, Faculty of Sports Science; JOC Board Member, etc.)

■ Format: Online / Webinar

■ Participation Fee: Free
■ Application: https://ifa20260423.peatix.com
■ Organizer: Institute for Female Athletes

□ Lecturer's Profile

Kyoko Raita

Vice President of Chukyo University, Professor at the Faculty of Sports Science and Graduate School of Sports Science. Director of the Advanced Collaborative Research Organization, Director of the Sports Museum.
Holds a Master's degree in Education from Kobe University's Faculty of Education and Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. in Physical Education from Chukyo University's Graduate School.

"Based on research results and insights into sports history, sports policy, and Olympic education both domestically and internationally, I consider environmental creation to support people's right to sports and areas where sports need to change."

＜Main Social Activities＞

Associate Member of the Science Council of Japan (26th term), President of the Japan Society of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences, President of the Japan Society for Sport and Gender, Auditor of the Japan Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport

Chairman of Aichi Prefecture Sports Promotion Council, Board Member of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), Executive Board Member of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, Board Member of Special Olympics Nippon Foundation, Board Member of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Asian Para Games Organizing Committee, Board Member of the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Foundation, Board Member of the Japan Boccia Association, Former Board Member of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, etc.

□ Target Audience

・Female athletes (regardless of competition level or age)
・Coaches, trainers, parents involved in daily coaching and support
・Educators, sports federation officials, government officials, media representatives, etc.

※Furthermore, we welcome the participation of all individuals involved in the sports field and sports world.

□ About the Organizer

・What is the Institute for Female Athletes?

Established in December 2024, bringing together Olympians and members deeply involved in sports and athletes at research institutions, educational settings, sports data companies, advertising agencies, and media companies. Since then, it has been promoting cross-sectional activities with the aim of becoming an "information and service platform" for solving and supporting issues and concerns faced by female athletes, parents, and coaches.

Website: Institute for Female Athletes

□Privacy Policy

Please refer to: https://i-fa.or.jp/privacy-policy/

【Inquiries regarding this release】

Institute for Female Athletes Secretariat info@i-fa.or.jp