Shuzo Matsuoka- Supporting People and the Environment

Shuzo Matsuoka is one of Japan's best-known tennis players. As a pro tennis player he reached a world ranking of 46, and since retirement works with junior players as well as promoting environmental awareness in the tennis community as a Director of GSA.
(Translated from an article appearing in the Nippon Kyoiku Shimbun (Newspaper))

"As a Director for the non-profit organization Global Sports Alliance (GSA), I became involved in promoting the reuse of old tennis balls in schools as a means of reducing noise levels and creating a better atmosphere to study. In March this year the project, which has run for four years, passed the 'one million balls reused' mark.

Attaching the tennis balls to the bottom of tables and chairs decreases the amount of friction with the floor and reduces noise. Reducing the noised level reportedly promotes a better learning environment and improves the children's concentration. In professional tennis, balls are often used only once and then discarded, and yet such sports equipment can be put to good use, such as improving the learning environment for children.

NPO Global Sports Alliance (GSA) is working to tackle global environmental problems through sport. You might ask why professional athletes like myself are getting involved with this NPO in particular? As athletes we should be particularly aware that without a clean and healthy environment, we simply cannot play sports. Global warming for example is threatening our ability to hold events, such as the Winter Olympics, in a natural environment. If people recognize this importance and work together we have an effective force for reaching a social consensus and affecting change. It was from this standpoint that GSA was first established.

Some years ago I took part in a meeting of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) Sports and Environment Commission in Nagano. The focus of the discussions was on how athletes can teach about the importance of the environment to children and people in general. It's important for children to take the environment seriously in school and at home. One way to achieve this is if their favorite sports stars act as environmental role models and carry that message to them. We can make a distinction between athletes that just generally know about the environmental problems around them, and those that are active and fully aware. An important first step is to make sure that all athletes are truly aware."

PROFILE
Shuzo Matsuoka was born in 1967 and began tennis at the age of 10. He turned pro in 1986, reaching a best world ranking of 46. He retired in 1998 and has been active in working with junior tennis players, becoming a GSA Director in 1999.