Tokyo 2016 outlined its commitment to deliver a “100-year Legacy” for Tokyo, Japan and the entire Olympic Movement at the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences’ (JISS) University Network Forum, held in Japan’s vibrant capital city from 24-25 March.
Staged by University students and JISS to demonstrate their passion for Tokyo 2016 and its legacy, the Forum saw interactive discussions involving Tokyo 2016, Olympic and Paralympic legacy experts, and enthusiastic student organisers. A key address was given by Yosuke Fujiwara, Senior Executive Officer of Tokyo 2016 and Mayumi Yamamoto International Relations Manager for Tokyo 2016, who together took attendees through the ways that Tokyo 2016 has already created tangible sporting, environmental and social benefits.
Other presentations came from eminent international researchers including Professor Ian Henry, Director, Centre for Olympic Studies & Research at Loughborough University; Professor Richard Cashman, Director, Australian Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney, and Associate Professor of Physical Education & Sports Science, Sock M. Teo-Koh, from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Together, the three panellists discussed the legacies of Olympic and Paralympic Games past and present, how legacy expectations will change in the future, and how pledges made during the Bid process have been carried through in past Games.
Professor Richard Cashman, Director, Australian Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney, said:
“Tokyo 2016 has a very strong Bid file, uniting existing venues with modernity and legacy planning. I was hugely impressed by the historical Nippon Budokan, which hosted Judo during the 1964 Games and is still staging major events today. The Yoyogi National Stadium is another great legacy venue, and I enjoyed an exciting volleyball match there.”
Professor Ian Henry, Director, Centre for Olympic Studies & Research at Loughborough University, said:
Visits to proposed Tokyo 2016 venues have deepened my understanding of the Bid’s ‘Musubi’ concept - which is based on uniting historical and new Japan, and tradition with new technology. Particularly impressive is Tokyo 2016’s focus on its environmental legacy through initiatives such as its carbon-minus commitment,”
Tokyo is continuing the legacy of the 1964 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which united Japan with the world, brought technological advancements such as the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) to prominence, and gave rise to a host of top class sporting venues which are still hosting elite events today.
Two-thirds of Games venues proposed under the ultra-compact, sustainable and environmentally-friendly Tokyo 2016 vision already exist, and having been fully refurbished where necessary are expected to set the stage for heroes for 50 years after 2016 – creating the Olympic Movement’s first 100-year Games legacy.
Dr Ichiro Kono, Chair and CEO of Tokyo 2016, said:
“From Tokyo 2016’s pioneering of a plan for the world’s first carbon-minus Games to our mission to unite people young and old with sport and healthy living, the long-term benefits of a Games in the heart of Tokyo are generating overwhelming support for the Bid across all levels of Japanese society.
“The JISS Forum has been a great opportunity for Tokyo 2016 to share our unique “100-year Legacy” vision, and to benefit from the research and insights of some of the world’s top experts on Olympic and Paralympic Games legacy issues. The fact that the event was made possible through the enthusiasm for the Olympic Movement of young Japanese people, is particularly inspiring.”
To celebrate the “100-year Legacy” vision, the International Institute for Olympism has been established. The institute engages in three categories of programmes: education and research on the Olympic Movement and its principles; enhancing the global fight against doping, and a worldwide outreach programme of development through sport. The International Institute for Olympism will be relocated to the Olympic Stadium following the Tokyo 2016 Games.
