VOLUNTEER STAFF
Help us build a world championship.
Two days on which therapists from all over the world come together to compete. We are looking for people to help build that stage with us — from setting out the chairs to the moment the world's best is decided. By the end, you will have seen the same view as the competitors.
- Dates
- Wednesday 26 – Thursday 27 May 2027
- Venue
- Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Second Gymnasium
- Who can apply
- No industry experience required. Students and people from other fields are welcome
A competitor can give everything only because the floor is ready.
While one pair of hands works under the lights, several more are moving around them: keeping time, carrying scores, fetching the next competitor. The audience never sees it. If those hands stop, the championship stops.
Workshops led by professional instructors who teach around the world, and six massage divisions in which a world champion is decided: that is the Massage Championship World Tour. Followed far beyond Japan, it is also two days where therapists meet and make connections.
What the staff's work makes possible
Staff work on the day falls into three broad areas.
Supporting the competitors
Competitors train for months for these two days. Their name is called, they are guided to their table on time, and they settle calmly into their first stroke. Getting them to that moment is the staff's job.
Supporting the judges
We want the judges to be able to focus purely on the technique in front of them. Collecting the scores, tallying them accurately and passing them on — that steady work is what makes the results reliable.
Supporting the value of this profession
The longer this championship continues, the more massage is recognised by society as work that can be evaluated and scored. What makes each edition possible is the people who come together on the day.
A day in the life of our volunteer staff
Venue setup
Tables are carried in, numbers go up, the walkways take shape. The floor where the world's best will be decided a few hours later is built in this window.
Reception and doors open
A queue forms at reception, competitors arrive from overseas, and the venue comes to life. There will be moments when you are not sure what to do, but every post has a lead, so you are never left to handle it alone.
Support during the competition
Once the treatments begin, you keep time, collect scores and guide the next competitors to their places. It is a post right beside the competitors, supporting them when their focus is at its most intense.
A group photo with everyone after the championship
At the end, everyone gathers for one photo. Competitors, judges and staff all stand side by side. It becomes a keepsake with everyone who was there that day in it.
What you take away
See world-class technique from the closest seat
You watch the best hands in the world from angles the audience never gets. On the scoring team, you see exactly where the points were won and lost.
Meet competitors and judges as a colleague
Not as a fan, but as someone running the same event. For more than a few people, being remembered here turned into work later.
Learn how a championship is actually built
If you want to run your own events or seminars one day, this is a live case study. You see from the inside how many people it takes and how it all runs.
What you would be doing
We will talk with you about your post based on what you would like to do and your experience. You can choose more than one. For each post, we also explain what it makes possible.
Interpreting
Interpreting for international guests and competitors, mainly English. Conversational level is enough.
What this post makes possibleNobody who came from abroad is left standing outside the conversation.
Setup and teardown
Preparing and clearing chairs, tables and signage, and setting up equipment.
What this post makes possibleYou build the floor a competitor can concentrate on. The height of a table changes how the treatment goes.
Reception and guiding
Registration, check-in and guiding visitors. For people who like talking to people.
What this post makes possibleA year of preparation does not get worn down by a queue or a mix-up at the door.
Operations support
Handling enquiries, supporting the core staff, and keeping workshops and the competition running.
What this post makes possibleYou keep things moving. One stall costs everyone behind it their time.
Security
Keeping visitors safe and looking after valuables.
What this post makes possibleCompetitors can forget about their bags and walk to the table.
Scoring
Entering the scores the judges award. The closest seat in the house.
What this post makes possibleThe result is the right one. The accuracy here is the result.
Model (as needed)
If a competitor cannot bring their own model, we may ask you to receive the treatment.
What this post makes possibleNo competitor withdraws because their model did not turn up.
Perks and pre-event briefing
- You will receive a commemorative staff T-shirt (please wear it on the days you volunteer)
- Please join a pre-event briefing on Zoom (about one hour). If you cannot make it, you can watch the recording later
- Lunch is provided on the day of the championship
Before you apply
I have no experience in this industry
None is needed. Setup, reception and guiding are where first-timers most often start. Students and people from unrelated fields work these days too.
Can I come for just one day?
Yes. You choose your days on the form. One day only, either day, is fine.
I don't speak English
No post except interpreting has a language requirement. You will meet people from overseas, and in most of those moments gestures and a friendly face are enough.
I'm worried I won't know what to do on the day
There is a one-hour briefing on Zoom beforehand, with a recording if you cannot make it live. On the day, every post has someone responsible for it.
Apply
We will get back to you based on what you send. If you have any questions, write them in the message field.
Volunteering at MCWT2027
Applications for the previous championship (AMC2026) have closed. Volunteer staff recruitment for MCWT2027 (26–27 May 2027) will be announced on this page as soon as we are ready.