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Olympics - 22 Dec 2008

Tokyo 2016 Continues to Support Youth Olympic Education

Tokyo, 22 December 2008 – Tokyo 2016 reaffirmed its commitment to the development of young Olympians yesterday by participating in a Japan Olympic Academy (JOA) special ‘Youth and the Olympic Games’ session, held at the Japan Institute of Sports and Sciences (JISS).

The session, made possible through the support of bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Olympic Academy (IOA), Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), Japan’s Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, facilitated frank and fruitful analyses of the future of Olympic education for young people.

The event saw two notable milestones in Olympic education celebrated; Hiroji Koide’s ‘One School One Country’ Program, and the 30th anniversary of the Japan Olympic Academy launch.

‘One School One Country’ was launched in 1998, and saw Japanese schools make cultural exchanges with a designated Olympic nation - culminating in a visit to Japan from one of its athletes. The program has has since been a feature of subsequent Olympic and Paralympic Games, such as the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, the 2006 Torino Olympic Winter Games, and the 2008 Summer Games.

At yesterday’s session, program founder Hiroji Koide led discussions on the impact of Olympic education programs on children throughout the world.

Hiroji Koide said:
“A project such as ‘One School One Country’ is vital in giving children a real sense of the Olympic Movement and its values.. Since 1998, the program has allowed young people in Japan to share in the Olympic experiences of athletes from across the world. I hope that the Tokyo 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will help this kind of initiative to extend beyond Japan and aid Olympic education worldwide.”

A JOA Olympic Lecture was held after the session, at which Tokyo 2016 was represented by recently appointed Senior Executive Officer for Planning & PR Yosuke Fujiwara. A seasoned Olympic broadcast specialist, Mr Fujiwara shared his impressions on the scope and character of broadcasting at the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Dr Ichiro Kono, Chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016, said:
'For many decades now, the Olympic Movement has worked tirelessly to engage and encourage young people to participate in sports. This helps to develop character, broaden horizons and emphasises the value of facing up to and overcoming challenges.'

'Japanese Olympians continue to be inspired by the legacy of the 1964 Games, and Tokyo’s Bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will see this legacy continue and strengthened even further. Innovative education programs are a key element of Tokyo 2016’s ‘uniting our worlds’ mission, and will ensure that we help preserve the values, messages and vision of the Olympic Movement for future generations.'

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For further information, please contact:
Mihoko Nakagawa (Ms), Director, International Communications, TOKYO 2016
+81-3-5320-2480, mihoko.nakagawa@tokyo2016.or.jp

Masa Takaya (Mr), Manager, International Communications, TOKYO 2016
+81-3-5320-2480, masanori.takaya@tokyo2016.or.jp

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