A funny athletes’ oath to liven up the start of the sports day

to dress up (in costume); to disguise oneself; to wear a costume

Iki Athlete’s Oath Kaonashi (1st-year Takuya)

When the athlete giving the oath takes the stage in a distinctive look—like appearing as a familiar character—that alone draws attention.

While the concept can work purely on visuals, you’ll probably want to be thoughtful about the overall structure, too.

If the costumed character is taciturn and their partner fills in the gaps, the segment will take twice as long, but it lets you highlight the character’s personality.

You could also imitate the character’s manner of speaking—crafting an athlete’s oath that matches the costume could be a fun idea.

If two people are taking the stage, I recommend having only one of them in costume to create a striking contrast.

Say it all in dialect.

I tried doing the athletes’ pledge in a rural dialect.

In the athlete’s oath, you can express both the joy and determination of being able to hold the sports festival, while also conveying gratitude to the place where you grew up.

By delivering the entire oath in a local dialect, you can showcase individuality and communicate deep affection for your hometown.

At a sports festival where people who grew up in the same area gather, it will foster a sense of shared understanding; in situations where people from various regions come together, it can highlight a refreshing sense of novelty.

It’s interesting to craft it in an easy-to-understand dialect, but it also seems fun to research and incorporate words that are no longer commonly used even in your own region.

Include a comedy sketch by a comedian

From the setup of two athletes standing at a microphone to make the oath, some people might be reminded of stand-up comedians performing in front of a mic.

Leaning into that visual image, why not slip some jokes into the oath itself? If you gradually mix a few laugh-worthy moments into a standard oath, you won’t disrupt the program, and you’ll still draw attention.

Incorporating bits from popular comedians’ routines that are trending around you could make the structure easier for the audience to follow.

Include current events references

To ensure we clearly recognize the year in which the sports festival was held, how about incorporating current events into the oath? Let’s use timely topics to draw attention from the principal, teachers, and other students listening right in front of you.

Because these are events that captivate the public, the message can reach everyone present, regardless of age.

How to weave together the sports festival and current events in the athletes’ oath will really test the scriptwriter’s sense and creativity.

to dance

Leader's Oath 2014

To make the athletes’ oath that marks the start of the sports day more lively, how about incorporating a dance? Perform a dance to songs everyone knows—like tracks from popular idol groups or current hits—to boost the overall sense of unity.

It could be fun to dance during the entrance and then transition seamlessly into the oath as if nothing happened.

The key will be deciding at which point in the oath to include the dance and how to build excitement throughout.

In a relay format of tidbits

[Choshin Juku New Material] I Want to Do the Players’ Oath at Koshien!

If you want to get laughs or have multiple people do the athletes’ pledge, we recommend performing a series of short gags in a relay style.

For example, you can have several people take turns saying something funny.

If it’s nonstop jokes, the energy can drag, so have one person play the straight man.

Including jokes that only a group can pull off will make it even more exciting.

Another tip is to keep the pacing brisk.

To keep the audience from getting bored, pack in one laugh after another.

A conversational style with the principal

Youth!!! A high school student doing the athletes’ oath at the sports festival lol

In the athletes’ oath segment, both the student representative who makes the oath and the principal who oversees it are indispensable.

Since it’s a good opportunity with the principal present, why not go all in and involve them in the oath itself? You could, for example, turn it into a skit about whether to authorize the event, among other ideas.

By giving the principal a funny moment, you can create a sense of unity that includes the adults as well.

Showing that the principal has a sense of humor will also greatly boost their popularity with the students.