POSTED: August 17th 2012
NewsUpdate
Tokyo 2020: Kids Festa gathers 11,000 to meet with athletes and Olympians
LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications
August 18 – The Tokyo 2020 bid arranged a Kids Jamboree in Marunouchi held in downtown Tokyo between 14 and 16 August that attracted 11,000 people to meet with Olympians and elite level athletes to learn about the values of sport.
Masato Mizuno, ceo of the bid and Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) Vice President, said, "Sporting events have always enjoyed great support in Japan. I am proud that we are a nation of passionate sports enthusiasts.
“Tokyo 2020 is committed to uniting our entire nation and inspiring an entire new generation. We intend to stimulate increased sporting participation around the world and help nations build a greater sense of pride by coming together to support their Olympic heroes.
“Children are our future, so sharing the Olympic Spirit with them would have tremendous benefit not only for Tokyo, but Japan and all other nations, as well as the Olympic Movement."
The event served as a fun and educational opportunity that gave more momentum to the Tokyo 2020 campaign to host the summer Games.
Atlanta 1996 Games Bronze and Sydney 2000 Games Silver medallist marathoner Erick Wainaina from Kenya and Barcelona 1992 Games and Atlanta 1996 Games sprinter Satoru Inoue from Japan were on hand to meet and mentor the young people.
The athletes engaged thousands of Japanese children in a series of sessions to share their experiences and promote the Tokyo 2020 Bid's mission of inspiring future generations to achieve excellence through the power of sports.
Erick Wainaina said, "I was very happy to share my passion for sport by running with the children today. The Kids Jamboree in Marunouchi is a great event because it enables children to experience the spirit and values of the Olympic Movement while discovering new sports.
“I'm a huge fan of Japan, so I think Tokyo would do an excellent job of staging a memorable Olympics and Paralympics in 2020. It would be amazing."
The young people and their parents learned about the Olympic and Paralympic Games through lectures and demonstrations by athletes specialised in sports such as football, gymnastics, trampoline, blind football and various wheelchair sports. The kids were also given the opportunity to match their fitness against the athletes in some fun games.
Tokyo 2020 is reaching out to all ages to build on Japan's Olympic heritage to infuse the Olympic and Paralympic Games with the renowned spirit of the Japanese people.
Tokyo is competing against Istanbul and Madrid to host the summer Games. The IOC will decide their final host city on September 7, 2013 at Buenos Aires, Argentina at the IOC session.
Keywords · Tokyo 2020 · Masato Mizuno · Erick Wainaina · Satoru Inoue
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