ZAMST Hosts 'Heat Countermeasure Summit 2026' with Daisuke Matsuzaka and Others to Promote Zero Sports Accidents

Nippon Sigmax Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Yosuke Suzuki), which develops the sports support and care product brand 'ZAMST', held the 'Heat Countermeasure Summit 2026' on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Yebisu Garden Place to consider competition safety in the era of climate change.

▲ ZAMST hosts 'Heat Countermeasure Summit 2026'

The summit featured four speakers: former professional baseball player Daisuke Matsuzaka, former Japan women's national football team player Homare Sawa, talent Nozomi Tsuji, and sports doctor Dr. Masahiko Saito. During the event, discussions unfolded regarding the current state of heatstroke, personal experiences, and real-life challenges in sports settings. Additionally, inside a transparent tent recreating an 'extremely hot day' with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, the cooling effect of the cooling poncho 'ZAMST COOL SHADER' was demonstrated in real-time using a thermography, attracting the attention of the gathered press.

Taking the first step towards a social movement aiming for 'Zero Sports Accidents Due to Heat'. ZAMST Division Manager Koichi Sogawa speaks on the background of hosting the 'Heat Countermeasure Summit 2026'.

First, representing the organizing company, Koichi Sogawa, Director of Nippon Sigmax Co., Ltd. and General Manager of the ZAMST Division, gave the opening remarks.

Sogawa explained the current situation: 'In recent years, the 'risk during competition due to heat' has become a serious issue. While knowledge of heatstroke prevention has spread and fatal accidents under school supervision have been declining since their peak in 1984, emergency transportations and tragic accidents still occur almost every year in actual club activities and tournaments.' Citing data from the Japan Sports Association, he pointed out the harsh reality that over 80% of heatstroke fatalities under school supervision over the past 49 years were due to athletic club activities, and that accidents in sports like baseball and soccer are concentrated from the end of the rainy season to early August, when bodies are not yet accustomed to the heat.

▲ Koichi Sogawa, Director of Nippon Sigmax Co., Ltd. / General Manager of ZAMST Division

Furthermore, he pointed out, 'The market size for cooling products that directly cool the body exceeds 50 billion yen annually, and last summer in 2025 grew by 106% compared to the previous year. We perceive this market expansion as an expression of the 'strong sense of crisis regarding heat' held by sports sites.'

He stated forcefully, 'We at ZAMST have been providing 'heat countermeasures usable on-site' through products like the 'COOL SHADER' (cooling poncho) that can easily cool the body. However, moving forward, we will not only deliver products but also change the sports environment itself. I strongly hope that this summit will be the first step in a social movement aiming for zero heat-related deaths and zero sports accidents due to heat.'

Emergency transportations last year exceeded the record high of '100,000'...! Two legends of the sports world and Tsuji, whose child has also experienced heatstroke, talk about their 'unforgettable, harsh summer' experiences.

In the panel discussion, freelance announcer Satoshi Kamishige, who is the same age as Matsuzaka and a former rival who fought a fierce 17-inning extra-inning battle in the summer high school baseball quarter-finals between Yokohama and PL Gakuen, served as the MC, leading a passionate discussion with the four guests.

In the first theme, 'Recent Heatstroke Circumstances', all guests guessed the number of heatstroke emergency transportations last year in a quiz format. The correct answer was a record high of over 100,000, which brought a sense of surprise to the venue.

Based on data, Dr. Saito explained the reality that Japan's average temperature has risen by about 1.44 degrees over the past 100 years, and that extremely hot and severely hot days have rapidly increased, especially in recent years. Showing that heatstroke continues to occur even in educational settings like physical education classes and club activities, he appealed to the seriousness of the impact climate change has on the sports environment, saying, 'Summers in the past and summers now are completely different.'

▲ Explanation of 'Recent Heatstroke Circumstances' by sports doctor Dr. Masahiko Saito

▲ Daisuke Matsuzaka

In the following theme, each speaker talked about their 'harsh summer memories'.

Matsuzaka, who has stood on numerous harsh mounds in both Japan and the US, expressed concern about the impact on performance under the scorching sun: 'Especially since Hanshin Koshien Stadium is outdoors, heat builds up on the ground, and looking down sometimes made me feel a bit unwell. We players normally practice in hot environments, but I think the brass band and cheerleading squads probably aren't used to practicing in such environments, so maybe it's harder for the people cheering than for us players.'

Sawa, who nodded vigorously at Matsuzaka's comments, said, 'When I practiced, it was on artificial turf with reflections, and the ground was hot with rubber chips, causing burns on the soles of my feet; it was just really too hot. Also, what was really harsh was definitely tournaments in Southeast Asia. Temperatures in India and Thailand reach 40...'