Yusaku Yoshino, who finished fourth in the flying disc disc golf event. (PANA) THE OTHER OLYMPICS: Akita Hosts Asia's First World Games October 11, 2001 The sixth World Games, an international multi-sports spectacle featuring events not included in the Olympic Games, took place from August 16 to 26 in the northern prefecture of Akita. It was the first time that the Games were held in Asia. Some 4,000 athletes and officials from 87 countries and regions participated in the quadrennial event, providing thrilling competition. Among the 31 sports comprising 169 events held at the Akita Games were tug of war, flying disc, parachuting, roller skating, water skiing, bodybuilding, and sports aerobics. The Games included sports that are not yet widely recognized, such as finswimming, a speed competition in which swimmers don a large, dolphin-like fin; beach handball; and faustball, a sport similar to volleyball, where players hit the ball with the fist. Although many of these are still largely regarded as leisure sports, the world's top athletes were on hand to compete in them. Top Japanese Performers Approximately 300 Japanese athletes took part in the Akita World Games. Japan shined in the karate competition and collected a total of 9 gold, 6 silver, and 10 bronze medals. Middle-school student Mero Narita, who, along with her older brother Domu, swore the athletes' oath during the opening ceremonies, won the wakeboard event in the water skiing competition. Narita took top pro honors in the 2000 wakeboard world championships held in France last September. She also proved her board prowess over snow by becoming the top Japanese performer in her first appearance at the snowboard world cup held in Sapporo in February 2001, finishing seventh. Her brother Domu finished eighth in the men's wakeboard competition. In karate, Atsuko Wakai earned her second straight victory in the women's kata competition. Wakai is currently the female world kata champion. By day, she works in the president's office of a construction firm, thus earning herself the nickname "mightiest presidential secretary." In the livesaving category, Masami Yusa won the women's beach flags event. Yusa is a three-time beach flags gold medalist in the livesaving world championships and is virtually undefeated in domestic competitions. Satoshi Fujiwara of the Japanese gateball team, which won this demonstration event. (PANA) Local Hospitality, Smaller Scale One of the charms of the World Games is the event's practice of utilizing existing facilities and minimizing expenses. Unlike the Olympic Games, which has become a colossal event requiring enormous expenditures and can therefore only be hosted by wealthy countries and large cities, the Akita Games were held with a budget of ¥4 billion ($33 million at ¥120 to the dollar). This is a far cry from the more than ¥100 billion ($833 million) required for the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games. Even with its smaller scale, the Games radiated a charged atmosphere at all venues, with the athletes vying to become the world's best and organization officials pushing to elevate the popularity of their respective sports. These representatives are hoping that their sports will follow in the footsteps of baseball, beach volleyball, softball, triathlon, and badminton, all of which were World Games sports before becoming official Olympic events. The Games are therefore a prime opportunity to showcase their sports and aim at earning promotion to the Olympics, thus raising the sports' appeal worldwide. Previously, participation in the Games was based on individual rather than national status so as to eliminate nationalistic motives. But in order to add increased flavor to the event, for the first time ever the national flag was raised and the anthem sung for every victorious athlete at the Akita Games, just as is done at the Olympics. The World Games are evolving into an event of increasing significance for sport worldwide. Japanese Medalists Gold medals (9) Karate     Men's kumite (under 60 kilograms)     Men's kumite (under 70 kilograms)     Women's kumite (under 53 kilograms)     Women's kumite (60 kilograms and over)     Men's kata     Women's kata Power lifting     Men's heavyweight Lifesaving     Women's beach flags Water skiing     Women's wakeboard   Your Name Send this article to a friend Silver medals (6) Karate     Men's kumite (under 70 kilograms)     Men's kumite (under 75 kilograms)     Women's kumite (under 53 kilograms) Bodybuilding     Women's lightweight     Men's welterweight Parachuting     Women's freestyle Bronze medals (10) Karate     Men's kumite (under 65 kilograms)     Men's kumite (under 80 kilograms) Bodybuilding     Men's welterweight Power lifting     Women's lightweight Flying disc     Ultimate Trampoline     Men's synchronized Tug of war     Men's indoor 600 kilograms Water skiing     Women's wakeboard Lifesaving     Men's beach flags     Women's beach flags Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.