Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

Coloring the drama of youth! Heartwarming songs perfect for school sports days and athletic festivals

Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.
POPS writer/editorKEI
Since discovering music during my school days, I’ve mainly listened to Japanese and Korean pop. I have experience writing articles for sites like Utaten. 2000s J-pop and 2010s K-pop were especially the soundtrack of my youth. With the mindset that “good is good,” I enjoy music across genres. Thanks to past work environments and their influence, I was exposed to lots of classic rock and kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs), which may have broadened the scope of what I love. At RAG MUSIC, I currently focus on K-pop and J-pop. I strive to edit with a feel for the scene and an eye for hit potential.

Sports days and athletic festivals are full of drama born from everyone giving their all.

For teachers and parents, they’re also great opportunities to truly feel the students’ and children’s growth.

Seeing them compete so earnestly can be unexpectedly moving.

On a stage where everyone shines, the right music is essential to set the scene.

In this article, we introduce touching songs recommended for sports days and athletic festivals.

From classic sports anthems to inspiring cheer songs, why not feature these treasured tracks that color a page of youth in your event’s production?

Coloring the drama of youth! Moving songs perfect for Sports Day and Athletic Festivals (41–50)

Full-Power BoySukima Suichi

Sukima Switch – “Zenryoku Shonen” Music Video : SUKIMASWITCH / Zenryoku Shonen Music Video

Full-Power BoySukima Suichi

It’s one of Sukima Switch’s signature songs, notable for its refreshing atmosphere and the way it seems to turn one’s mindset positive.

The lyrics, which evoke memories of a boyhood spent taking on everything with full effort and encourage us to give our all again, are particularly striking, and that may be why the song is often used in sports settings.

The piece as a whole portrays a powerful sense of courage to move forward.

As the song builds toward the chorus, the sound grows brighter, like clearing away a cloudy heart, leaving the listener feeling positive.

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FateOfisharu Higedan Dism

Official HIGE DANDism – Fate [Official Video]

FateOfisharu Higedan Dism

Just a sports festival? And yet, not just a sports festival.

This Higedan track makes you feel the importance of giving everything you’ve got for that one day you’re destined to face.

It was chosen as the 2019 cheer song for summer high school baseball—one of youth’s grandest stages—and served as the theme for the TV program Nettou Koshien.

A sports festival is a personal event held within a single school.

But its intensity is no less than high school baseball! In practice and on the big day, there are countless tears and sweat—born of frustration and accomplishment alike.

All that heat packed into those tears and sweat transforms, in the end, into sparkling, beautiful memories.

This is a moving, youth-filled number that lets you feel those emotions.

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Synchro BOM-BA-YESatō Naoki

[Famous BGM Often Heard on TV] Synchro Bom-Ba-Ye ~WATER BOYS~

Synchro BOM-BA-YESatō Naoki

This is the main theme from the drama Water Boys, which portrays a group of high school boys taking on synchronized swimming and the friendships they build through it.

The piece is also performed by orchestras; its bright, grand atmosphere, along with the clapping incorporated at key moments, conveys a sense of camaraderie and unity.

In the show, it often played at moments when hope emerged, giving the music a distinctly positive feel.

It’s a perfect track for sports scenes that evoke fun, strength, and togetherness.

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BeautifulSuperfly

Superfly『Beautiful』Music Video

BeautifulSuperfly

This is a song by Superfly featuring powerful lyrics that convey a determination to move forward and a compelling vocal performance.

It was also used as the theme song for the drama “Mother Game: Kanojo-tachi no Kaikyū.” As has been said about the song, it affirms the self: while acknowledging painful emotions and inner conflicts that arise within, it depicts the resolve to overcome them and live strongly.

The sound builds toward the chorus into a grand, radiant atmosphere, evoking the sense of clouds lifting from a troubled heart.

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HeroAmuro Namie

Hero – Namie Amuro (Full)

HeroAmuro Namie

Namie Amuro’s 45th single, released in 2016.

It was chosen as the theme song for NHK’s broadcasts of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and Paralympics.

The song is an encouraging anthem dedicated to the people of Japan, expressing the wish that, just like the hero within oneself, someday we can become someone else’s hero.

It’s a song you can enjoy at sports days while imagining the hero each person holds in their heart—whether it’s family and friends cheering you on in individual events, classmates in class-versus-class competitions, or parents thinking of their adorable, growing children.

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rainbowAqua Timez

Aqua Timez “Niji” Music Video (Theme song for the drama Gokusen Season 3)

rainbowAqua Timez

A refreshing Aqua Timez number that supports those striving toward the school sports festival.

It was chosen as the theme song for the smash-hit drama Gokusen Season 3, starring Yukie Nakama.

For those giving their all at the sports festival, the “rainbow” here symbolizes a moving, unforgettable memory.

Grueling practices, training that just doesn’t go well—many tough days unfold on the way to the big event.

But you have many teammates running alongside you toward the same goal.

With that in mind, even the hard days can turn into “It’ll be okay” on the day itself.

This is a song that makes you feel that, after pushing through, those efforts will become a beautiful, rainbow-like memory.

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Believe in yourselfAbe Mao

Mao Abe – Believe in yourself (Official Music Video)

Believe in yourselfAbe Mao

A number by Mao Abe that gives you a fresh, youthful vibe.

It was used as the opening theme for the tennis-themed anime Baby Steps.

To be honest, school sports days can feel like a hassle, and for people who aren’t good at sports, they can be downright depressing.

It’s easy to give in to those negative feelings and skip out.

But even if it’s a pain or you don’t like it, if you don’t give in to yourself and do your best, you’ll make wonderful memories of the sports festival.

This song carries the message to not lose to your negative side—believe in yourself and keep going.

And after you give it your all, a moving, emotional moment is waiting!

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