The sight of athletes challenging themselves toward their dreams can give immense power to spectators. Honda’s global brand slogan, “The Power of Dreams - How we move you,” embodies the idea of moving people, society, and hearts through the power of dreams. We believe we share a common spirit. Honda believes in the infinite power of sports and has been involved for over 60 years through operating official corporate sports clubs, sponsoring athletes, and supporting events.

The WCH is a special stage of challenging that captivates and thrills even people unfamiliar with track and field, showcasing the extraordinary skills of top athletes. We decided to participate as a partner because we want to help create this event together, where the excitement and emotion generated by athletes’ performances deliver immense power to the audience.

The theme of this event is “Realizing a compact, environmentally responsible, and sustainable event.”  Addressing social challenges such as the environment and safety aligns directly with Honda’s ongoing initiatives. We aim to contribute to the event’s success by providing diverse mobility solutions incorporating the various technologies Honda has cultivated, such as environmental and safety technologies.

For example, we will provide the CR-V e:FCEV hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle as the head umpire vehicle of the men’s and women’s marathons. We will also provide the all-new Prelude, scheduled for release in autumn 2025, and all-new N-ONE e: mini-EV as course check vehicles. For camera bikes, we have prepared the CUV e: electric personal commuter that realizes quiet and clean mobility. We will also provide the UNI-ONE, a hands-free seated personal mobility device the user can steer simply by shifting body weight while sitting, to reduce the workload of event staff and enable them to work throughout the day. Furthermore, we are developing RC vehicles to support throwing events like the javelin throw,  hammer throw and discus throw for this event.

In addition, Koyama and Mori from Honda Running Team will compete in this event. We believe their determination to overcome challenges and boldly compete against world-class athletes embodies the challenging spirit Honda values. We hope they will do their best, even in harsh weather conditions, and help energize the event through their performances.

Honda has always valued “challenging your dreams.” We want to expand the circle of challenge: individuals striving toward their dreams, inspiring others who see them to take on their own challenges. This statement is a message not only for the athletes, the stars of the World Athletics, but for everyone who aspires to challenge themselves.

By supporting WCH, on the world’s premier stage, Honda aims to spread a “circle of dreams and challenges” across the world.

Furthermore, the automotive industry is currently undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation. In this fiercely competitive environment, Honda employees are striving hard across various operations. We believe our involvement with the World Championships can also empower our colleagues who are challenging themselves right now.

In addition, our WCH efforts allow us to share Honda’s vision and initiatives with people who do not usually interact with Honda. This is a tremendous asset for us. I believe nurturing these new connections and bonds will lead to our next challenge.

I felt pride and joy that Honda’s manufacturing capabilities would be utilized on the field where top athletes compete. The WCH are the athletes’ premier stage. We committed ourselves fully to supporting them.

Considering we have to operate the RC vehicles live amidst multiple concurrent events, the responsibility was daunting, but everyone in our prototype lab loves a challenge, so a “Let’s do this!” spirit naturally spread throughout the team.

Centered around five or six core members, dozens of people were involved; from young to seasoned engineers and management staff. Our development schedule was much shorter than usual, posing a significant challenge.  We used widely available parts for the battery and motor, while applying Honda’s R&D expertise to the frame. We proceeded with agile development, rapidly cycling through design, prototyping, improvement, and field testing.

During field tests at the National Stadium in mid-June, the turf manager told us that the weight of the RC vehicles could cause damage to the turf, affecting events scheduled after WCH Tokyo 25. We had not considered turf impact in our initial weight requirements, so we had to start from scratch. My mind went blank.

We researched literature on turf impact, formulated hypotheses, simulated turf recovery conditions to meet the next event’s schedule, and presented this to the turf managers, who then gave us the green light. However, we had to reduce the weight to less than half of the original chassis, which was another major challenge.

To do this, we first searched for commercially available lightweight batteries that met the voltage and current requirements we calculated from our tests. Our biggest breakthrough, however, was the chassis. We switched from steel, which we had selected for its robustness, to aluminum.

Aluminum is lightweight but difficult to handle; tending to warp easily even after welding. To overcome this, we paired a seasoned engineer with extensive experience in aluminum forming and welding with our design engineer. Within about two weeks, they achieved the optimal structure and weight. It was precisely because we were in the prototyping department that we could make numerous on-the-spot decisions and immediate improvements, allowing us to overcome this difficulty. I am deeply grateful to the team members.

Honda’s strength lies in how experts from many fields immediately gather, when we have a serious issue. We can think together across departments about what needs to be done, and by when, to overcome the challenge. This dynamic was crucial within our tight schedule.

As challenges are central to the company, the joy of seeing everyone smile after overcoming problems is something all members share. I felt this power to unite and drive toward realization is truly unique to Honda.

We believe accumulating these experiences leads to the implementation of various ideas. So, we want to continue challenging ourselves, treating the support for WCH Tokyo 25 as important knowhow for the future.