Kids' Activities 16

The Robot World Cup

	Two ASIMO robots take the players' oath with other competitors at RoboCup 2002. (Jiji)

RoboCup 2002 Fukuoka-Busan, in which robots compete by kicking soccer balls, was held in the cities of Fukuoka and Busan from June 19 to 25. Just like the real World Cup, this event was held both in Japan and South Korea. The competition in the South Korean city of Busan took place in May.

59 teams entered the Fukuoka RoboCup, of which 13 were made up of elementary-school students. According to the tournament office, each team has been refining the design of its robots over the years, and the contests were fiercely fought. The final took place on June 23, and in the two-versus-two soccer contest for elementary-school students, the Japanese team won.

The opening ceremony for RoboCup 2002 in Fukuoka took place on June 20. At the ceremony, Honda's humanoid robot ASIMO joined kids in taking the players' oath and thrilled spectators with his soccer skills by taking a penalty kick.

As well as robot soccer, RoboCup 2002 also featured RoboCup Rescue, a contest among robots that help people at the scene of accidents and disasters.