Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Head office: Tokyo, Japan; President: Makoto Inoue; hereinafter Otsuka), a Special Sponsor of the National Junior High School Championships since 2000, will support the health of competitors and officials and safe operation of the 2021 event with a variety of heat disorder prevention measures tailored for new lifestyles.

① All participating athletes to be provided with POCARI SWEAT Powder (for 1L x 5) and original squeeze bottle with event logo

To minimize direct contact between athletes and student event staff, avoid sharing of beverages, and prevent crowding, the usual beverage distribution booths have been eliminated. Instead, athletes will be encouraged to use supplied personal squeeze bottles for hydration during the event.

② Aid stations at all event venues to be stocked with POCARI SWEAT ICE SLURRY

Supplies of frozen POCARI SWEAT ICE SLURRY will be stocked in freezers and coolers at aid stations as an effective pre-cooling item.

③ Providing information for safe participation in extracurricular sports activities and organization of competitions

Through sponsorship of the National Junior High School Championships, Otsuka collaborates with the Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association and other groups to provide information regarding safe participation in extracurricular sports activities and organization of meets and competitions, deliver free-of-charge educational materials to teach junior high school students about heat disorders.

Aiming to contribute to the physical and mental health of junior high school students. Otsuka has long been providing health and nutrition-related information targeting this age group. Supported as a Special Sponsor since 2000, the National Junior High School Championships have offered a vital forum to promote public awareness regarding prevention of heat disorders during sports activities. Otsuka also collaborates with the Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association to provide information regarding safe participation in extracurricular sports activities and organization of meets and competitions. Though the main competition was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, the 2021 meet to be held for the Kanto block will require careful coordination of infection control measures, and Otsuka is partnering with the Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association and local organizing committees to support heat disorder prevention and ensure the health and safety of competitors and officials.

Yoshiro Okawara, Managing Director of Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association, commented: "National Junior High School Championships is supported in safe operation of competitions through Otsuka Pharmaceutical's heat disorder prevention activities. I hope athletes will take advantage of this support to effectively prevent heat disorders during daily extracurricular sports activities and competitions."

Based on the corporate philosophy of 'Otsuka - people creating new products for better health worldwide,' Otsuka Pharmaceutical will continue to contribute to the health and wellbeing of people around the world.

■National Junior High School Championships 2021

• http://njpa.sakura.ne.jp/sub/r3taikai.html　(in Japanese)

Organizer: Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association; others

Dates: Tuesday, August 17 - Thursday, August 26, 2021

Venues: Kanto (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Yamanashi Prefectures)

Competitions: Competitions in 16 disciplines

Track & field, swimming, basketball, soccer, handball, nanshiki yakyu (rubber-ball baseball), gymnastics, new gymnastics, volleyball, soft tennis, table tennis, badminton, softball, judo, kendo, sumo

Participants: 24,880 (athletes, coaches, etc.) (reference: National Junior High School Championships, 2019)

■Heat disorder prevention initiatives targeting junior high school students