Mina Samukawa, Japan

My name is Mina Samukawa, I am a Vice President of the Japanese Society of Sports Physical Therapy and a Japanese delegate to the IFSPT since 2019. After attending the 2nd World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy in Belfast, I learned of the excellent collaborations between the MO and the IFSPT. In 2019, I became an executive board member at the Japanese Society of Sports Physical Therapy and since then I have made developing and improving our society one of my top priorities.

For the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, more than 700 Japanese sports physiotherapists gathered from all over the country despite the tricky Covid-19 situation. We had many wonderful experiences working together to provide physiotherapy services at not only the central polyclinic but also at many of the competition venues. Four years of dedicated preparation was one of the keys to our success.

I was deeply involved as an educator for the lead-up workshops, and served as the core physiotherapist of physiotherapy services in the polyclinic during the Olympic games. Watching our physio team gain in confidence as the Games unfolded is an especially poignant memory for me.

I have been working as an Associate Professor at Hokkaido University since 2013 and have taught graduate students and sports physiotherapists from a variety of Asian countries. In addition, I have many sports physiotherapist acquaintances throughout Asia. If I have a chance to become an EB member, I would like to broaden the network and the opportunities for collaboration between Asian countries and the IFSPT.

If elected, I will be able to contribute to the administration, research development, scientific programs, and enhancement of IFSPT for the next 4 years.