Sports have now come to be indispensable in society and in our daily lives. Social expectations have gathered for sports science not only in terms of playing, but from a variety of aspects, such as the increase in sports enthusiasts including spectators, the social need for improving physical fitness and promoting health, and the improvement of international competitiveness, and the like. In addition, we cannot overlook the market expansion for sports as a business. We want to develop human resources that have the combination of a sports mind and broad ranging scientific groundings by thoroughly investigating sports—including physical expression as well as playing—through diverse scientific methods. The mission of the Waseda University Sports Science Department is to cultivate new Waseda-Men and Waseda-Women who can thrive in the new era.
As the changes in the social structure proceed—such as the aging society, declining birthrate, and the like—the need for sports science is increasing. We will continue to develop human resources that can manage business related to sports and sports promotion for middle-aged and older people from the standpoint of promoting health, as well as teachers who have a great deal of knowledge and practical skills who will be responsible for developing the sports education curriculum.
Human resources that can cultivate top-level players are vital for improving international competitiveness. In addition, coaches and trainers with a high level of knowledge including managing disabilities, conditioning, and the like are needed in a variety of areas including competitive sports and lifelong sports.
The increased potential for sports science in recent years calls for researchers who can propose appropriate ways that sports should be. Toward that end, we will continue to develop a wealth of human resources who have learned with the theme of sports in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary fashion and a wide range of academic disciplines including the natural sciences—such as physiology, biochemistry, and nutrition–as well as the humanities and social sciences—including sociology, history, and pedagogy.