Pokémon Reveals 59 Sporty New Designs for Official 30th Anniversary Olympics Collab
Image by Charlotte DavisThe Pokémon Company has announced a new collaboration with the Japanese Olympic Committee that will see 59 Pokémon paired with real-world sports for an interactive exhibition opening in Tokyo later this month.
The “Pokémon and Athletes’ Moves Exhibition” forms part of Pokémon’s role as a “JOC Kids Sports Ambassador,” an initiative created to introduce children to the enjoyment of sports through familiar characters and activities.
To mark Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, 59 “Cheering Pokémon” have been selected from the franchise’s 1,025 species, with each chosen to match the characteristics of a sport included in TEAM JAPAN’s program for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Some of the pairings are particularly fitting, with Throh supporting judo, Sneasler representing sport climbing, and Tinkaton taking on golf.
Other examples include Zeraora for athletics, Gholdengo for skateboarding, Decidueye for archery and Greninja for artistic gymnastics.
The exhibition uses the shared Japanese word “waza,” meaning a move or technique, to compare the attacks Pokémon learn with the skills athletes develop through training.
Visitors will move through four interactive sections, beginning with displays comparing Pokémon moves with athletic techniques before progressing to an area where they can recreate poses used in weightlifting, surfing, skateboarding and breaking.
Another section displays real competition equipment including balls, rackets, bicycle wheels and oars, allowing visitors to compare how different tools are used across individual sports.
The final area adds hands-on activities and simulators designed to let visitors try some of those movements themselves rather than simply viewing them on display.
A Pokémon-themed quiz rally will also run throughout the exhibition, with Pikachu appearing across different sporting challenges as visitors search for similarities between Pokémon moves and athletic techniques.
Anyone completing the rally can receive an original award-style sticker while supplies last.
The collaboration also extends online through the newly launched “Pokémon Sports Park,” where visitors can explore different sporting locations and search for all 59 Cheering Pokémon alongside additional Pokémon representing skiing, snowboarding, and skating.
The “Pokémon and Athletes’ Moves Exhibition” will run from September 19 through November 23, 2026, at the Japan Olympic Museum’s first-floor Welcome Salon in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Admission to the first-floor exhibition is free, although the museum’s permanent second-floor exhibition continues to require its usual admission fee.
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