Kashima Gatalympics

The Kashima Gatalympics (鹿島ガタリンピック, Kashima gatarinpikku) is an annual event held every May in the mudflats of the Ariake Sea off Kashima City in Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Real Life
Participants compete in novelty games such as the mud sumo tournament, the 25 m dash, and the surfboard race. The Ariake Sea has a tidal range of six meters, which on a low tide, exposes the mudflats on which the games take place. It has become a well-known event throughout the Saga Prefecture, with around 300 athletes participating each year.

History
When the prefecture plan for Saga was published in 1984, it was decided that Kashima City would not have a highway or a Shinkansen connection. Mr. Masahiko Kuwahara, the mayor of Kashima, was also the president of the junior chamber. He created a committee called “Forum Kashima” to improve the city's cultural calendar. As a result, the 1st Kashima Gatalympic event was held on May 3, 1985.

As the Gatalympics became well known, the mudflats that had been previously neglected were improved. As a result, the mudflats became an important and valued symbol for the growth of the city as a whole.

When deciding on a name, initially “The big athletic meet on the mudflats” was proposed. Later, a second name, “The Gata-Olympic big athletic meet on the mudflats” was suggested. This was eventually shortened to just the “Gatalympics”.

In the series
This was the event that Franchouchou attended to promote the group in Episode 5, after almost being discovered as zombies on several occasions, they managed to make Tae win first place, but promoting Drive-in Tori instead of them.

Trivia

 * The term “Gatalympics” is a play on the Japanese name for marshes, Kashima Hi gata (鹿島干潟), and the Olympics.
 * The 34th Kashima Gatalympics was held on May 27, 2018, the same date as the anime.

Kashima Gatalympics