Identity of Mixed-Race Athletes BMX Kai & Saya Sakakibara (Part 2)

Kai and Saya Sakakibara have consistently competed in BMX world championships around the world, aiming to earn the No.1 spot in every one of them. In those championships, they are representing Australia, though Japan is their second home, close to their heart.

Kai and Saya on a Japanese television set, Tokyo Source: First Track Management

Kai and Saya hold mixed-race identity; Austalian, Japanese and British. They were born to Japanese mother and British father and spent their baby- and toddlerhood in Gold Coast. When Kai was 4 and Saya was 2, they moved to Tokyo and spent 6 years with their grandparents in Fuchu, Tokyo. They attended local kindergarten and primary school and made many friends.

Kai and Saya in Japan Source: Supplied

SBS speaks to them about their multiple identities, the memories of their life in Japan, and how they improved their Japanese in Australia.   

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