There
has been a rash of accidents in which children have been injured while
performing kumitaiso, coordinated gymnastic formations, on school sports days.
These
accidents cannot be ignored, because some cases involved life-threatening injuries, such as brain contusions
and injuries to internal organs.
Kumitaiso
includes formations such as human pyramids, in which students crouch on all fours and form rows
on the backs of other students, and human towers, in which students stand in a
small circle while others climb up and stand on the shoulders of participants below. At many primary and middle
schools, these events are considered the highlights of sports days because they
give students a sense of accomplishment and
nurture a spirit of teamwork.
The
problem is that in recent years there has been strong tendency for schools to
try to outdo others by building higher pyramids
or towers, and some schools are noticeably
attempting very elaborate performances. Some
people have suggested it is the teachers, not the students, who get a sense of
accomplishment from doing these exercises.
In September 2015, a 10-tier human pyramid formed by 157 male students
collapsed at a public middle school in Yao, Osaka Prefecture. Six students
suffered injuries including broken bones. In the past 10 years, 20 students at
this middle school have suffered broken bones while performing these exercises.
The school's safety measures can
only be described as woefully inadequate.
Since
the 2011 school year, when such statistics began to be kept, more than 8,000
students have been injured annually in kumitaiso accidents at primary, middle
and high schools across Japan. Each year, more than 80 such accidents could
have endangered the lives of students.
Moderation the key
A
10-tier pyramid can reach six or seven meters high. A five-tier tower can be up
to four or five meters. These are heights equivalent to a two- or three-story
building, so it is extremely dangerous if they collapse. It is natural for
local governments to have begun taking action to limit the height of these
formations and impose other restrictions.
The
Osaka City Board of Education has drawn up strict rules for kumitaiso
performances. In September, it limited the size of pyramids to five tiers and
that of towers to three tiers. Accidents continued to happen despite these
restrictions, so the board will ban both formations from the next school year.
We can
understand having rules aimed at protecting the safety of children. However,
opinion probably will be split over whether these formations should be banned.
First
it is important to properly verify why accidents
occurred even after the restrictions on tiers were set. Perhaps one method
would be to allow children to take part in formations to reasonable heights
after making doubly sure safety measures have been implemented.
Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hiroshi Hase has indicated
that guidelines for kumitaiso will be compiled
by the end of March. We think these guidelines should detail methods for these
exercises to be conducted safely, and what scope is acceptable, after
thoroughly investigating the types of accident that occur and listening to
advice from sports medicine specialists.
Compared
with many years ago, school sports days have fewer physically rough events,
such as botaoshi, in which one team tries to topple a vertical pole another
team is defending, and kibasen, in which small groups of students attempt to
remove the hats of their rivals. If these events are deemed
dangerous, it should be possible to tweak the
rules to help prevent injuries, rather than just doing away with them.
We want
school sports days to be events children can enjoy and at which they can
exercise with everything they have.
(From
The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 19, 2016)