Daichi Suzuki

Daichi Suzuki (鈴木 大地) (born March 10, 1967, in Narashino, Chiba) is a retired Japanese backstroke swimmer. He won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Japan's First Chief Commissioner of Sports Agency (2015 - 2020). Chair of Japan Swimming Federation (2013 - 2015, 2021 - ). Vice President of Asia Aquatics (2016 - ). Bureau Member of World Aquatics (2017 - ). Professor and Associate Dean, Faculty of Health and Sports Science at Juntendo University.

Swimming
Suzuki developed the swimming technique called underwater dolphin kick or what is known as the Berkoff Blastoff in the United States. This style in backstroke swimming was invented by either David Berkoff or Jesse Vasallo. However, it was Suzuki who finally developed the skill, allowing him to swim 25 meters underwater at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. Four years later, he won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the 1988 Seoul Olympics where Berkoff also competed.

Career
In 2013, Daichi was the head of the Japan Swimming Federation. On September 5, 2015, it was confirmed that he would take up a new position as head of Japan's new national sports agency, which was launched on October 1, 2015. The new organization, which is called Japan Sports Agency, is an Incorporated Administrative Agency or similar of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Its primary role is coordinating a wide range of sports-related functions and projects carried out by various government ministries. Specifically, the 121-person agency is tasked to improve Japan's athletic performance in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In October 2016, he became vice president of Asia Aquatics. In July 2017, he was elected Bureau Member of the World Aquatics.

On April 5, 2021, The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) announced that Daichi Suzuki would be inducted into the ISHOF Class of 2021 as an "Honor Swimmer". In fact, Daichi Suzuki was announced by ISHOF that he would have been inducted into the ISHOF Class of 2020 in 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 induction was postponed to 2021.

On May 9, 2023, Asian University Sports Federation selected Daichi Suzuki as one of the Assessors.

On November 18, 2023, the International University Sports Federation selected Daichi Suzuki as one of the FISU Executive Committee Members.

Educational background

 * Ph.D in Medicine, Juntendo University