Coming Soon! How to Make the Most of the Once-in-4-Years Premier Event: Turning the World Games into a Learning Opportunity
Hello everyone, it's Yoshi, the Flipper President!
Today is Thursday's "Thursday Break". I'd like to talk about something a little different than usual.
I previously spoke passionately about the appeal of finswimming. At that time, I desperately tried to convey the excitement I felt. The impact of the speed, the power of the sound, the beauty like a mermaid, the dramatic race developments...
But this time, I want to try a slightly different approach.
Actually, I had a realization recently.
And that led to an interesting idea for turning the upcoming World Games into a "learning opportunity."
The premier event that happens once every four years is about to begin!
The World Games 2025 will be held in Chengdu, China, from August 7th to 17th. Finswimming will also be held as an official event at this competition, which is also called the "second Olympics".
However, the selection criteria are stricter than you might imagine, with effectively only the top 8 athletes in the world for each event being able to participate, making it a narrower gate than the Olympics if you're not careful. Unless you have the ability equivalent to the top 8 in the World Championships, you won't even be selected by the CMAS Finswimming Commission.
Unfortunately, there were no Japanese athletes selected this time.
Honestly, I felt a little lonely at first. But that is precisely why this might be a special opportunity for us.
An incident that made me realize a "blind spot of the involved"
It happened when I was introducing finswimming to someone in the business world a long time ago. I was engrossed in explaining the technical aspects as usual.
"The energy efficiency of a monofin's dolphin kick is..."
"The propulsion from the waving technique is..."
"In middle-distance races, the tactical maneuvering is..."
At that moment, that person said this:
"Those technical aspects of the sport are very interesting, but finswimming is just incredibly cool to look at, isn't it? It's like a sci-fi movie!"
I remember being struck by that.
We athletes and coaches are always thinking about "how to swim faster," "how to improve technique," and "what tactics to use to win," and perhaps we aren't noticing the appeal from an outsider's perspective.
And that "appeal from an outsider's perspective" might be the part that first hooks the general public.
A lesson learned from the world of marketing
This is suddenly going to be a difficult, technical marketing discussion, but in the business world, there are concepts called "product-out" and "market-in".
Product-out: Creator's perspective thinking, "This is a good product."
Market-in: Customer's perspective feeling, "This is what I wanted."
In any industry, "insiders" tend to lean toward a "product-out" approach. In sports, this means talking about the brilliance of the technique or the depth of the competition.
However, what a first-time viewer is looking for might be a simpler, more intuitive kind of "fun."
The upcoming World Games is the perfect opportunity for us to learn the "market-in" perspective.
Your fresh eyes hold the key to popularization.
Think about it.
When we share the appeal of finswimming with someone, we tend to talk about technical details or the depth of the sport. But the charm that a first-time viewer feels might lie somewhere else entirely.
For example...
Visual impact: "That movement doesn't look human!"
Power of sound: "The sound of the start and turns, and the sound of cutting through the water is more incredible than I imagined!"
Sense of the extraordinary: "Even though it's a pool-based sport, it's so different from competitive swimming that it's like watching a sport from another world!"
Entertainment value: "The strategies like speed and pacing vary by athlete, making it unpredictable and fun until the very end!"
Finding that is the experiment for this time.
Why now, at this timing?
The premier stage of the World Games has several special elements.
Spectacular production: You can expect production and visual beauty on a scale comparable to the Olympics!
Athlete level: You can see the techniques of the world's top-of-the-top finswimmers all at once!
International attention: A stage that gathers attention from all over the world!
Quality of streaming: You can enjoy every detail with high-quality video!
You can watch finswimming under the "best conditions" that you don't see in regular tournaments. That is precisely why it should be easier to discover charms you don't usually notice.
I will include the link for the live stream at the end, so please look forward to it on Sunday!
The 'gems' that we as competitors overlook
Actually, I realized something myself recently.
The other day, I showed a video to a child who knew almost nothing about finswimming. I wanted to say, 'Isn't this swimming amazing?', but his reaction was different.
'These people are '}, {so fast even though they aren't breathing', right?'
'Also, '}, {why is there a difference in speed when everyone is doing the same movement?'
'This sound is '}, {like a movie and interesting!'
Without listening to any technical explanations, he found his own 'interesting points'.
And when I heard that, I thought again: This is the gateway to popularization.
Your discoveries will change the future of finswimming
If we can find new charms that we, the insiders, haven't noticed through this experiment, it will definitely become a force to change the future of this sport!
Because the charm you find is...
✅ The 'gateway' that is most likely to pierce the hearts of the general public
✅ The strongest material for you to recommend finswimming to others
✅ Important hints for the overall popularization strategy of the finswimming world
✅ Know-how on 'how to convey' that the next generation of leaders can utilize
🎯 'Finswimming Charm Discovery Project' Detailed Guide
Step 1: Set up your viewing environment
Streaming Information: The World Games Live (Official Stream)
Finswimming Competition Schedule: August 10th (Sun) - 11th (Mon)
-
Recommended Viewing Method:
If possible, use a large screen (the impact is different!)
=> Tablet over smartphone, PC over tablet, TV over PC!In an environment where you can hear the audio clearly!
=> You can feel the excitement of the venue together!Maybe you'll discover more if you watch with family or friends?
=> You might get impressions from perspectives you wouldn't notice yourself!
Step 2: Be thoroughly committed to the 'spectator perspective'
When watching for the first time, consciously seal the following points.
❌ 'The technique is wonderful'
❌ "The pacing is clever"
❌ "This form is..."
Of course, this is a perfect place to study these points, so when you watch it for the second time or more via the archived stream, let's focus carefully on these aspects.
Also, what I would like you to focus on instead is...
⭕ Visual impression: "Cool," "Beautiful," "Powerful," etc.
⭕ Emotional reaction: "Exciting," "Thrilling," "It made me laugh," etc.
⭕ Comparison with others: "It's similar to XX sport," "But XX is different," etc.
⭕ Unexpected discoveries: Unexpected points like "This part is interesting"
Step 3: Articulate 3 charms
After watching, please find 3 charms as a fan or spectator!
Step 4: Share & Discuss in the comments section
Please share the charms you found in the comments section or on your social media!
Let's also enjoy interacting by looking at other participants' discoveries and saying, "Exactly!" or "I didn't notice that!"
🏆 Special Project: "Best Discovery Award"
Among the participants, those who make particularly "I see!" or "That was a blind spot!" discoveries might be introduced in a later article as the "Best Discovery Award" winner!
Small discoveries create big changes
Finswimming is still a small sport. But that's just because many people don't know its charm.
This experiment is not just a viewing project. This is a project where I, you, and everyone else will develop new "ways to show" and "ways to convey" finswimming together!project
If 100 people participate this time and each discovers 3 charms, we will obtain 300 "new angles" to promote the charm of finswimming.
Some of them will surely demonstrate great power in future promotional activities.
Imagine the future 4 years from now
At the 2029 World Games, we might just see Japanese athletes making their mark.
By then, there might be people in the stands who started finswimming because of the 'discoveries' made this time. In front of their TVs, there might be people you recommended it to, cheering along because you sparked their interest.
And when we look back, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could say, "That 2025 discovery project was the turning point for the sport's growth"? Don't you think that would be amazing?
From this very moment, you are also an essential partner in creating the future of finswimming!
Challenges always begin with a small step.
When I first encountered finswimming, I never imagined that 20 years later I would be promoting it as the 'Fins President'.
But that simple sense of wonder—that 'Wow!' moment—was where it all began.
This project is surely the same. Your discovery of something 'interesting' or 'cool' might be the gateway that changes someone's life.
So, please don't hesitate to tell me exactly what you think. Don't worry about thinking, 'Is this even worth saying?'.
The most valuable thing is your honest impression.
Let's enjoy this journey of new discoveries together!
And let's open up new possibilities for finswimming together!
With that said, thank you for reading this far once again.
If you think this sounds interesting and would like to participate, I would be happy if you could support me with a 'Like❤️', 'Follow✅', 'Share♻️', or 'Tip💙'...!
And above all, please share your discoveries after watching the World Games in the comments section! Let's witness a historic moment where we all discover the new charms of finswimming together!
See you next time!
Bye for now!
Finswimming Specialist
Fins President Yoshihide Sekino
☆Related Articles☆