Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

[Sports Day BGM] A selection of classic tunes that liven up the venue

Representative, Elysion Philharmonic Orchestrasai-kisaragi
Heisei College of Music, Composition Course. Studied composition and conducting under Keizo Ideta, piano under Chinami Kira, and arts management under Takuma Konishi. With a focus on community and music, I work to revitalize my hometown of Saga Prefecture. While performing as a double bassist with wind ensembles and orchestras across Kyushu, I participated on double bass in the “Orchestra Without Borders” orchestra camp of the professional game and anime music ensemble Eminence Orchestra, held in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture in September 2012. During CAPCOM’s Kyushu Tour in 2016, I not only performed as an orchestra member but also served on the production staff. I currently serve as the managing representative for the game and anime performance groups Elysion Philharmonic Orchestra (Saga Prefecture) and Fukuoka Game Music Wind Orchestra (Fukuoka Prefecture), and handle conducting, arranging, and public relations.
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.

Many famous classical pieces are used as background music at sports days, but there are probably quite a few tunes that you can hum the melody to even if you don’t know the title.

In this article, we’ll introduce a curated selection of recommended classical pieces for anyone looking for music to play at a sports day event.

From that song that makes you want to start running to the perfect march for a parade, we’ve covered all the classics—use this as a reference.

Try listening while imagining which scene each piece would suit.

[Sports Day BGM] A selection of classic staple pieces to liven up the venue (21–30)

CarmenGeorges Bizet

Bizet: Carmen, Suite No. 1

CarmenGeorges Bizet

This is the prelude to Act 1 of Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen.

First performed at the Opéra-Comique in 1875, it quickly became beloved.

In Japan, many people have surely heard it as background music for relays or footraces at school sports days.

Its bouncy, skipping “trot-trot” rhythm is fun to listen to and almost makes you feel like you could run faster just by hearing it! It would also be perfect for events where parents and children work together, like a three-legged race.

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Weigh anchorCharles Zimmerman

United States Navy official march “Anchors Aweigh” / Anchors Aweigh

Weigh anchorCharles Zimmerman

A march composed to inspire the Naval Academy’s football team, notable for its powerful brass and percussion.

Written by Charles A.

Zimmermann in 1906, this piece brilliantly captures the proud spirit of the Navy.

Its stirring melody and forceful rhythm, which make listeners sit up straight, vividly evoke the excitement of setting out on a new voyage.

Adopted as the title song of a 1945 musical film, it has also left a significant mark on American culture.

Born as a football fight song, it has been widely performed at ceremonies and enlistments, and even when used as background music for sports days, it continues to move many people as a piece that inspires courage and hope.

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The Flight of the BumblebeeNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov

Rimsky-Korsakov (arr. Mariko Endo) Flight of the Bumblebee – Virtuoso Version, Aile Orchestra

The Flight of the BumblebeeNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov

“Flight of the Bumblebee” is characterized by a fast-paced main melody that seems to tumble down a slope.

It was composed by the Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov.

Known as a piece of extreme virtuosity due to its rapid tempo, it’s famous enough to have a Guinness World Record for “how fast ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ can be performed on guitar.” The music truly conjures the image of a bumblebee buzzing frenetically around.

It seems perfect for events where lots of people are dashing about, like competitive races.

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HuntingJohann Strauss II

J. Strauss II: Polka schnell “On the Hunt,” Op. 373 [Naxos Classical Curation #NewYear] / Strauss II: Auf der Jagd Polka, Op. 373

HuntingJohann Strauss II

This is “The Hunt” by Johann Strauss II, a composer and conductor who was active mainly in Vienna.

He was renowned for his skill at writing music for stage works such as operettas and was known as the “King of Operetta.” This piece is familiar because it’s often used at school sports days, and it gives the impression of fitting well with footraces and the like, but in fact it belongs to the polka, a folk dance genre.

If you listen closely, don’t you sense a certain elegance within its bubbling vitality?

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Sports Show MarchKoseki Yūji

Sports Show March / The World of Yuji Koseki

Sports Show MarchKoseki Yūji

This piece that makes you want to swing your arms and march as it plays is “Sports Show March.” The title sounds just right for an opening ceremony at a school sports day.

It was often used in broadcasts of high school and professional baseball, and composer Yuji Koseki wrote it in 1949 for NHK’s sports coverage.

Koseki left behind thousands of works that make you feel like straightening your posture, and he was a beloved composer who represented the Showa era.

When you hear this song, it really feels like a Japanese sports day.

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