Sakamoto qualified for the Japanese squad, as the sole Asian rider, in men's BMX cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by receiving an invitational berth from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) based on his best performance at the UCI World Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. After he grabbed a thirty-second seed on the morning prelims with a slowest time of 40.548, Sakamoto scored a total of 19 placing points to mount a seventh spot in his quarterfinal heat, thus eliminating him from the tournament.