How an international volleyball championship helped bring water and sustainability into focus
The AVC Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship Fukuoka 2026 (AVC Fukuoka 2026) came to a thrilling close after captivating fans with world-class competition. Yet behind the action on the court was something essential to the athletes’ performance that often goes unnoticed: water.
From drinking water and post-match showers to clean toilets, handwashing facilities, laundry and venue cleaning, water plays a vital role at every turn. The excitement of an international sporting event depends on access to safe, reliable water and sanitation services.
To highlight this often-overlooked connection, a spectator survey titled “Water: Making Global Stages Possible” was conducted at the venue during AVC Fukuoka 2026.
Watch the game. Think about water. Look to the future.
In Japan, we can drink safe water straight from the tap. We can wash our hands, use a flush toilet and dispose of wastewater through systems we rarely need to think about. But access to safe water and adequate sanitation is far from universal. What many of us take for granted in Japan is, in fact, something remarkable.
With the message “Watch the game. Think about water. Look to the future,” the survey set out to turn the excitement of watching volleyball into an opportunity to reflect, even briefly, on the water we use today and the water we will need tomorrow.
The survey consisted of five questions and took about one minute to complete. One question asked: “Did you know that sporting events depend on water?” By inviting spectators to consider this question, the initiative helped draw attention to water as an essential part of the infrastructure that makes international sporting events possible.
We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who took a minute out of their volleyball experience to think about water, and to those who visited the information desk to collect an original drawstring pouch as a thank-you gift.
The energy and excitement of AVC Fukuoka 2026, the tournament’s commitment to sustainability, and each individual moment of awareness about water: we hope these will resonate far beyond the venue, across Japan and around the world. That is the future we hope to help build together with everyone we met through the championship.
The survey was also conducted among tournament personnel and local elementary school students who attended the matches. We plan to share those results in a future update.
Japan Water Forum will continue to create opportunities for people to recognize the value of water and take action to protect this vital resource for future generations.
（Reporter: Sayoko KUWAHARA, Chief Manager）
