[Sports Day Cheer Songs] A roundup of classic cheer anthems and recommended parody-song picks [2026]
Cheer songs and background music are essential for sports days and athletic festivals! Classic staples that make you want to start running the moment you hear them are a given, but it’s also long been common to rewrite the lyrics of popular J-pop songs and sing them as parodies.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of Japanese songs that are perfect for cheering at school sports events! Of course, we’ve also picked out songs that will hype up the crowd even if you sing them as-is.
Be sure to read through to the end!
- Top Songs to Hype Up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals [2026]
- Cheer songs to hype up the sports day! A collection of motivational tracks recommended for kids
- Songs that hype up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals: Japanese Music / J-Pop Artist Rankings [2026]
- Recommended cheer songs for elementary school students: popular tracks to listen to when you want a boost
- [2026] Curated J-POP to Energize Sports Days and Athletic Festivals! Also Great as Entrance Music
- [Dance Tracks] Perfect for School Sports Days! A Curated Selection of Fun, Popular Songs to Dance To [2026]
- Sports Day/Athletics Festival: Crowd-Pleasing Cheer Battle Ideas and Performances
- Get hyped! A collection of Vocaloid songs to energize your sports day and athletic festival
- [Youth Songs] Songs that liven up sports days and athletic festivals. Music that adds color to the event.
- Recommended cheer-up songs for middle schoolers: Classic Japanese hits that will empower student life
- [To All Athletes] Inspirational Sports Anthems & Empowering Theme Songs
- Before a match or when you feel like giving up! Cheer songs to keep you going in club activities
- Let's send our teammates a powerful cheer! A roundup of cheer calls for sports day.
[Sports Day Cheering Songs] A roundup of classic cheer songs and recommended tracks for parody versions [2026] (101–110)
Trace OrionUNISON SQUARE GARDEN
This piece was written specifically as the opening theme for the anime TIGER & BUNNY.
It’s a song by the rock band UNISON SQUARE GARDEN, also known for “Sugar Song and Bitter Step,” and it was released as a single in 2011.
The high-energy, fast-paced band sound alone is enough to lift your spirits.
The lyrics convey a strong will to keep moving forward toward tomorrow.
No matter which part you take, it can be introduced as a rousing anthem that sets your heart ablaze.
Mela!Ryokushokushakai
If you’re looking for a cheer song that fits every scene of a sports day, “Mela!” is highly recommended.
It’s included on the 2020 album “SINGALONG” by Ryokuoushoku Shakai, a pop-rock band known for their high-level musicianship and vocals.
Many of you may know it from the original dance that went viral on TikTok.
Its jazzy sound, carried by a light, catchy rhythm, is addictive.
This colorful, genre-defying pop track is sure to elevate the excitement of any sports day.
Further awayRemioromen
It’s a perfect song by the popular band everyone knows, Remioromen, for cheering at a sports day! The tempo is a bit relaxed, but the powerful vocals in the chorus are sure to fire you up! It’s a song that gets you moving energetically along with the lyrics, so I highly recommend it!
Share The LoveSandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
This is a song by the dance-vocal group Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE.
It was released in 2015 as a digital-only single.
Its EDM-style build-up that gradually gets more exciting will heat up any school sports day or athletic festival.
Many of you may remember it being used in a Pocky commercial.
If everyone copies the dance and performs it together, it creates a sense of unity and really lifts the mood!
Everyone is free.Half time Old
Many of you have probably heard it as the song used in the au mobile carrier’s Santaro series commercials.
In this series, there’s an original song that gets arranged for the ads, and the past commercials have featured incredibly catchy tunes—once you hear them, they really stick in your head.
The title is “Everyone Is Free,” which I think is perfect for events like school sports festivals.
The lyrics are good, and the tempo is great too, making it a track that will really lift your energy even outside of sports.
[Sports Day Cheer Songs] A roundup of classic cheer songs and recommended tracks for parody versions [2026] (111–120)
BON VOYAGEBON BON BLANCO
Because it was used as the opening theme for the popular anime ONE PIECE, many children know it.
Its bright melody and lively rhythm create a festive mood, making it perfect for energizing events like school sports days and athletic festivals!
The One and Only Flower in the WorldSMAP
It’s SMAP’s “Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana,” a song so well-known across generations that it hardly needs an introduction.
It’s also widely known that Noriyuki Makihara wrote and composed it.
How about using it as a unifying anthem to boost morale—more of a cheer song to rally everyone together?