they are most definitely whistles. the only other thing they could possible be are representations of heads, which is unlikely, but the reason why all this table tennis and paddle talk makes no sense to me is because you can clearly see that they are tilted, but even so the stem/handle/spout is clearly at an angle, it doesn't connect perpendicular, its at a slant, which is EXACTLY what a child's whistle looks like, you know the cheap plastic ones you can buy for 50 cents. Tell me that if you monotone-colored these it wouldn't look exactly like the image, in shape and everything. not to mention the placement relative to the heads, the first whistle is pretty much at a direct connect with the rightmost head's lips, nuff said.
no one is connecting this work to Variety of OSCA, just because Ringo used a whistle there doesn't mean she can't use one here. Whistles play an important role in sports, as do stop watches (like in the single), and seeing as this album is SPORTS, that would make sense. The whistle in OSCA was kind of odd, it doesn't make as much sense to use it there as it does here, but regardless, using a whistle there and here does not link them in any way really, its just being over analyzed. Glath, your comment about players versus referees/coaches doesn't make any sense either, this album is titled Sports, but no one is going to think about it that much. I mean, what does stick-pins have to do with Variety? Or a paper crane and exotic birds with Education? Sports and whistles are pretty much linked at the hip in Japan, you'd be hardpressed to walk by any open pitch or school field and not hear whistles going off all day long. Evenmoreso in Japanese cultures whistles play a large part in sports, so to think this is anything other than a whistle, based on the graphic representation, is just being fussy.