Supporting the development of the All Japan Alpine Ski U16
In order to develop the world's top alpine skiers, we have been supporting the Japan Ski Association's (SAJ) U16 alpine ski team since the 2018/19 season in cooperation with the general incorporated associations Just Loving Ski (JLS) and J SPORTS. We support the activities of young athletes through cooperation with crowdfunding, support for training expenses, production and broadcast of a close-up program on U16 alpine skiers, and broadcast of the JOC Junior Olympic Cup (alpine competition).
The 2025/26 season report program is now available!
(Alpine Skiing U16: A Challenge to the World Season 8: Growth Beginning from Disappointment | J:COM Sustainability ActivitiesPlayback Time: 26:00)
Project overview
From the 2018/19 season, in order to develop alpine ski athletes who will stand at the top of the world, we will collaborate with Just Loving Skiing (JLS) and J SPORTS, a general incorporated association, and the Alpine Ski U16 of the All Japan Ski Federation (SAJ). We support the team.
We will collect support funds through crowdfunding, add reinforcement costs from J:COM donate to SAJ, and SAJ will carry out reinforcement activities. The event will be broadcast and distributed as an activity report program, and the activities at the JOC Junior Olympics, the last big event of the season, will be broadcast live.
Support details
Support system
Target amount: 1,000,000 yen
Application deadline: Monday, January 12, 2026, 11:00 PM
A project to support the training costs for the All Japan Alpine Skiing U16 Team to compete on the world stage.
Last season, we received your support and used it as training funds for skiers who are expected to perform well in the near future.
J:COM will support these young treasures as they take on the challenge of changing the future of Japanese alpine skiing.
(J:COM Sustainability Activities | All Japan Alpine Ski U16 Strengthening Support Project 2025/26Play Time: 1:00)
Support Report
Crowdfunding goal achieved
Thank you very much for your support in our crowdfunding campaign, which will support the training costs of the All Japan Alpine Ski U16 Team from October 20, 2025 to January 12, 2026. Your support, together with that from J:COM, will be used to fund the following: Just Loving Ski General Incorporated Association It will be sent to the Japan Ski Association.
Total support amount: 2,878,000 yen
- *Total amount including donations from everyone and donations from J:COM
- (The fee of the crowdfunding site READY FOR will be deducted from the total amount above.)
2025/26 Season Presentation Ceremony
From left to right: Kazuhiro Ohashi, Managing Corporate Officer J:COM; Emiko Kiyosawa, Director of JLS; and Masahiko Harada, Chairman of SAJ.
On March 22, 2026, Ms. Emiko Kiyosawa, Director of Just Loving Ski, and Mr. Kazuhiro Ohashi, Managing Corporate Officer J:COM, presented a grant to Mr. Masahiko Harada, President of the All Japan Ski Federation, to support the strengthening of the All Japan Alpine Ski U16 Team.
The presentation ceremony was broadcast on the same day during J SPORTS' coverage of the "Alpine Skiing FIS World Cup 2025/26".
Enrichment Activities
SAJ uses training funds to hold training camps (physical and on-snow technical training) and overseas expeditions (Alpine Timbra FIS Children's Cup). In 2022, training funds were used to publish a training manual to be used by all alpine ski athletes. In addition, from 2024, J:COM, as a media company, will be conducting "media training" for the next generation of athletes.
Activities
Training camp (physical and snow training)
Training camps will be held using the training funds. Physically, fitness checks and condition training will be conducted. On the snow, the athletes will ski on hard courses in various sets of slalom and giant slalom runs, and training will be conducted while measuring their times.
Overseas expedition (Alpine Timbras FIS Children's Cup)
The athletes selected during the training camp will represent Japan at the "Alp Chimbra FIS Children's Cup," a world championship for youth athletes.
In the 2025/26 season, Shinnosuke Manabe achieved 4th place in GS and Taku Kanazawa achieved 6th place in SL, both advancing to the top ranks.
Training Manual
In 2022, training funds were used to create and publish a training manual for alpine ski athletes and coaches across the country.
(Alpine U16 Team Strengthening Support Project Media TrainingPlayback time: 1:01)
Media Training
Media training was conducted at the 3rd Alpine Skiing Talent Discovery and Development Project Training Camp held at Sugadaira Plateau on September 19, 2025.
The event aimed to improve the communication skills and self-expression abilities that are important for the next generation of athletes to succeed in the future. Athletes ranging from junior high school students to university students participated, and practiced creating self-promotional materials and communicating in front of a television camera.
Report Program
(Alpine Skiing U16: A Challenge to the World Season 8: Growth Beginning from Disappointment | J:COM Sustainability ActivitiesPlayback Time: 26:00)
2025/26 Report Program: "Alpine Skiing U16: A Challenge to the World"
Season 8: Growth Begins with Disappointment
This documentary follows the U16 national team athletes who represent the future of alpine skiing. We will show you how these athletes, fueled by their disappointments, continue to challenge themselves and grow towards the future as they aim for the Youth World Championships.
Competition Streaming
Free LIVE streaming of the 2026 Junior Olympics (Alpine Skiing)!
The Junior Olympics, where young people who will lead the skiing world of the future gather, will be streamed live for free on J SPORTS' official YouTube channel.
Please take a look at the activities of the alpine ski U16 athletes who received your support.
- Competition name
- JOC Junior Olympic Cup 2026 All Japan Junior Ski Championships (Alpine Skiing)
- Venue
- Nukabira Onsenkyo Ski Resort, Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido
- Event date
- March 25th (Wednesday) – March 29th (Sunday), 2026
- Organizer
- All Japan Ski Federation
Streaming contents (with archive Streaming)
| Streaming date | Event | Streaming page |
|---|---|---|
| 3/25 (Wed) LIVE broadcast from 8:20 AM |
K2 Men's/Women's GSL Competition | https://youtube.com/live/HFxT5REXaso?feature=share |
| 3/26 (Thu) LIVE broadcast from 8:20 AM |
K2 Men's/Women's SL competition | https://youtube.com/live/jwQGihE1gok?feature=share |
| March 28th (Sat) LIVE broadcast from 8:20 AM |
K1 Men's and Women's GSL Competition | https://youtube.com/live/34qUW5oR-cY?feature=share |
| March 29th (Sun) LIVE broadcast from 8:20 AM |
K1 Men's/Women's SL competition | https://youtube.com/live/jXHseb9zT-o?feature=share |
Category division
K1 category: 5th and 6th grade of elementary school
K2 category: 1st year junior high school to 1st year high school premature age
- *Distribution contents are subject to change.
J:COM賞の贈呈
In the 2024/25 season, the seventh year since the start of our support program, we have established the "J J:COM Award" to commend the tireless efforts of athletes who have qualified for the FIS World Cup (hereinafter referred to as the World Cup) and to wish them continued success in the future. Award recipients will receive a supplementary prize of overseas expedition support funds (1 million yen for athletes who have qualified for the full year of the World Cup for the first time, and 200,000 yen for athletes who have made a spot appearance in the World Cup for the first time).
J:COM賞受賞者
- ※Titles omitted
| Award season | Award recipients | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 season | Airen Watanabe (Year-round) | |
| 2024/2025 season | Ryoma Katayama (Year-round) | Airen Watanabe (spot) |
2025/26 Season Award Ceremony (April 28, 2026, within the SNOW AWARD 2026) *As Watanabe was on an overseas tour, the award was presented on his behalf to former head coach Anjiki.
(From the left J:COM Ohashi and Aren Watanabe)
(From left J:COM Izumi, former head coach Shinji Anjiki)
Airen Watanabe (23 years old)
Born in 2003 in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, he showed promise from his junior years, winning the All-Japan High School Ski Championships (Inter-High) while still in his first year of high school, and steadily grew into a top-ranked skier in Japan. In the 2025/2026 season, he competed in six World Cup events, gaining experience on the world's highest stage, and also won the All-Japan Intercollegiate Championships, establishing a solid track record both domestically and internationally, and is expected to make even greater strides in the future.
Award comment
Thank you very much for awarding us the J:COM Award for the second time. We understand J:COM Award to be an award that recognizes not only our achievement of being able to stand on the World Cup stage, but also the process that led us there. We are very pleased that not only the result, but also the process was recognized.
In the 25/26 season, I participated in six World Cup events and experienced over 200 days of overseas travel. While I realized the difficulty of achieving results, I feel that I gained a lot of valuable experience and was able to grow significantly. In the 26/27 season, I will work even harder with the goal of participating in the World Championships and breaking into the Top 30. And I want to steadily grow towards the Olympics in four years.
Alpine skiing is a sport that cannot be achieved alone. It is only thanks to everyone's support that I am able to compete on the world stage. I have grown this far thanks to the sponsors and manufacturers who have nurtured me since my youth, my coaches and team members, and everyone who has supported me. I express my heartfelt gratitude.
Comments from former head coach Shinji Anjiki
Thank you very much for giving this wonderful award to Airen Watanabe. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. J:COM We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Watanabe and his family for their longstanding and generous support of the Alpine skiing world and our young athletes. Your continued support has led to the solid growth of each and every one of our athletes. Through this project, Watanabe has steadily improved his ability and has even gone on to compete in the World Cup. Through the "All-Japan Alpine Skiing U16 Training Support Project," youth alpine skiers are being trained and strengthened on a daily basis with the goal of competing in international competitions in Italy. We hope that Watanabe will be able to represent our project and compete on the world stage in the future. With the continued support of J:COM, we will continue to work even harder to nurture our young athletes and send them out into the world.
(SNOW AWARD 2026 J:COM Award CeremonyPlayback Time: 6:56)
Acceptance speech
Please check out the video of J:COM Award presentation and acceptance speech for Watanabe (represented by former head coach Anjiki) at the SNOW AWARD.
