Photo By Airman 1st Class Nathaniel Jackson | An Okinawa Lacrosse team player fights for possession of the ball during a match...... read more read more
Subscribe
SHINTOSHIN PARK, Japan -- A ground ball shoots across the turf as two players collide shoulder-to-shoulder, sticks clashing in a blur of motion. A clean scoop, a quick pivot and a pass downfield. Seconds later, the net ripples.
During the sixth annual Lacrosse Okinawa Open held Feb. 19-21, 2026, at Shintoshin Park, Japan, teams representing 17 Southeast Asian countries converged for three days of fast-paced international competition.
The Okinawa Lacrosse team, known locally as OKI LAX, earned a third-place finish. But for the U.S. service members, civilians and local players who make up the roster, the event represented more than just standings on a scoreboard.
The team draws participants from across Okinawa’s military installations and the surrounding community, blending units, services and nationalities into one roster. The result is a cross-section of the same partnerships that define daily operations across the Indo-Pacific.
“Representing Kadena and Okinawa in tournaments like this allows us to bring the discipline we learn in military service into a competitive sports environment while building camaraderie with our international partners,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Edward Tate, Headquarters and Service Company executive officer, Marine Air Support Squadron 2. “Competition creates connection, and that’s what makes events like this meaningful.”
The tournament featured teams such as the Kamagaya Gators Lacrosse Club and the Southeast Asia Alliance Lacrosse Club, a combined squad of players from more than 11 countries. Ages ranged from 20 to 62, with varying levels of experience, backgrounds and languages represented on the field.
“We all come from different countries and speak different languages, but we share one language through lacrosse,” said Ray Pang, a Southeast Asia Alliance player from Singapore. “Seeing everyone compete hard and still enjoy the game shows what the sport is about.”
The pace of play was relentless, marked by quick transitions, coordinated offensive sets and physical defensive stands, but the tone remained rooted in mutual respect. A long postgame handshake line revealed the event’s true purpose, connection beyond competition.
For service members stationed overseas, sports provide a connection to home and a way to integrate into the broader Okinawan community. It also mirrors the unity required in military operations: trust, communication and shared objectives.
Just as multinational forces train together to enhance interoperability and readiness, athletic exchanges foster people-to-people ties that strengthen long-term partnerships. Events like the Lacrosse Okinawa Open reinforce relationships that extend beyond formal meetings and training environments.
As U.S. forces continue operating throughout the Indo-Pacific, opportunities to build trust remain essential. Whether on a flight line, in a joint exercise or on a lacrosse field, the principle is the same, unity is forged through shared effort.
At Shintoshin Park, that unity was measured not only in goals scored, but in hands shaken, friendships formed and a collective understanding that sometimes the strongest partnerships begin with a simple pass downfield.
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2026 00:12 |
| Story ID: | 558803 |
| Location: | NAHA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sticks up, borders down: International lacrosse in Okinawa, by A1C Nathaniel Jackson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
