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Over 10,000 people celebrate Olympism during Olympic day festa series

2013-05-27 16:35 AIPS


Photo by AFLO Sport.

TOKYO, May 27, 2013 The Olympic spirit filled Tohoku on Sunday during the 37th Olympic Day Festa, where the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) marked surpassing 10,000 people they have brought together to celebrate Olympism.

The Olympic Day Festa, part of a series of Olympic events throughout the year, features a full day of sport, activities and games for children. Driven by the strong belief of the lasting and international power of sport, the JOC has planned the on-going series to encourage and support children affected by the March 11, 2011 earthquake.

The JOC plans to hold its 60th Olympic Day Festa - “Smiles Come from Sports” - by end of March 2014. The events are being delivered with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia under the “Tsubasa” IOC Support Project.

Ai Shibata, one of three participating Olympians during the day, became Japan’s first-ever female freestyle gold medallist when she won the 800-metre event at the Athens 2004 Games. The swimming heroine conveyed her strong passion for sports and the Olympic Movement to the audience of children, who represent the future of Japan.

Shibata said: “Although I was hoping the children will be encouraged most, I was the one who was encouraged most. I believe in the power of sport and its ability to inspire children worldwide. It is extremely important for events such the Olympic Day Festa to take place, providing a platform for athletes and children to interact as often as possible. The children seemed to have a great time, so I was pleased to know that our efforts contributed to the healing process for these young stars.”

Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC Member and President of both the Japanese Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020, said: “In the last two years, we in Japan have rediscovered the significant role that athletes can play in society. Reaching over 10,000 participants with our Festa series and seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces makes me extremely proud of the Japanese sports community. It is our duty to support children by continuing to organise opportunities for children to engage in sport. By sharing the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship, we hope to contribute to a positive, forward-looking recovery in Tohoku.”

As part of the “Ganbare Nippon” (Hang in there, Japan) project the JOC started in October 10 2011, Olympians and athletes have hosted Olympic Day Festas and other events in the quake-affected prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki. The JOC has also donated funds, sent relief goods and provided medical teams. To date, over 30 million yen has been raised through public donations.

In addition, the JOC is operating an ambitious five-year project to send Olympians and Paralympians to inspire youths in the quake-affected area. The Sports Kokoro Project (www.sports-kokoro.jp) visited 195 schools over 384 events in 2012 with 81 athletes, putting smiles on the faces of some 10,173 schoolchildren and filling their hearts (kokoro) with joy. This year the project plans on visiting over 15,000 schoolchildren in 250 schools over 500 events.

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