Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

From classics to fan favorites! A catalog of music and BGM to liven up your sports day

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

Many people struggle with choosing songs for sports day, don’t they?

Here, we introduce perfect tracks for each scene—from classic staples ideal for sports day to upbeat J-pop and Western hits that get everyone excited!

Well-known songs can hype up the crowd, but using the same ones every year can get old…

We’ve curated a selection of tracks to solve that problem.

You’ll find refreshing tunes that make you want to start running and motivational anthems that give you courage.

Use this article as a guide to make your sports day even more fun and exciting!

Hype Songs (11–20)

Everyone’s a star!Haisukūru Myūjikaru

Everyone is a Star! High School Musical

Everyone’s a star!Haisukūru Myūjikaru

A hit movie that gained popularity as a Disney Channel Original Movie and later won two Emmy Awards.

With sequels released one after another, it’s a must-see not only for Disney fans.

True to its musical label, the story features plenty of bright, catchy songs.

Among them, the track “We’re All in This Together” has a side-to-side rhythm that evokes a classic feel, and the clapping and other choreography match perfectly.

It would make great background music for fun sports day events like beanbag tosses or giant ball rolling.

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FRIENDS!!!imase

【imase】FRIENDS!!!（MV）

FRIENDS!!!imase

Set to a light, breezy melody, this heartwarming coming-of-age song celebrates the importance of friendship.

A groovy rhythm and the gentle vocals of imase, an artist from Gifu Prefecture, weave an exquisite harmony that carefully depicts reunions with friends, the subtle distances between hearts, and the feelings toward an unchanging bond.

Released in February 2025 as the theme song for the collaboration project “Everyone’s Concert” by the live communication app Pococha and Yamaha Corporation, the piece also features a special video with over 120 performers, proposing new ways to forge connections through music.

It’s perfect not only as BGM for school sports festivals and athletic meets, but also as a track to brighten any playlist capturing pages of youth spent with friends.

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Vocaloid (11–20)

Many children and students like Vocaloid songs, so using them as entrance/exit or competition BGM would likely make the sports day even more exciting.

There are plenty of Vocaloid tracks with a sense of speed and great rhythm, making them a perfect fit for sports events.

Here, we’ve selected some recommended songs, so please use them as a reference.

Reference article: Get hyped! A collection of Vocaloid songs to energize your sports day and athletic festival

Vocaloid (1–10)

Dance ChinaAtena

Odor China / Hatsune Miku, Kasane Teto SV

Dance ChinaAtena

A lively China-pop tune! This February 2025 release by Atena features a perfectly synchronized duet between Miku and Teto.

Its message—dance and forget all your worries—matches flawlessly with the bustling, Chinese-style sound! When your spirits are low, listening to this track is sure to lift you up.

Play it as a cheer song at sports days or athletic festivals, and you can dance with friends and get the crowd going!

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Ready, set, go!Project Lumina

Ready, set! / Kasane Teto

Ready, set, go!Project Lumina

“Issē-no!” is a song by Project Lumina, released in February 2025.

With Teto Kasane’s energetic vocals and a powerful rock sound, it celebrates friendship.

Its message—standing by those who feel lonely and moving forward together—really resonates.

It’s perfect for school sports days or athletic festivals when you want to deepen class bonds and get everyone hyped in unison with their friends!

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Donut holehachi

Hachi – Donut Hole 2024, HACHI – DONUT HOLE 2024

Donut holehachi

A rock tune brimming with a sense of speed that makes you want to sprint at full throttle.

It’s a piece Kenshi Yonezu released under the name Hachi in October 2013.

The world woven by its alternative sound and the animated music video featuring illustrations he created himself is breathtaking.

The lyrics, themed around “lack” and “a sense of loss,” also delve deeply into selfhood and relationships, striking a chord.

I think it’s a great fit for running events like relays!

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