“Sport for Tomorrow” (hereinafter referred to as “SFT”) is Japan’s international sports exchange and cooperation project promoted through public-private collaboration. On March 6th (Wednesday), the Japan Sports Council (JSC), an independent administrative agency, held the SFT Conference 2024, its symbol event, as part of the “Post-SFT Promotion Project” commissioned by the Japan Sports Agency in 2020. “has been held.
○ “SFT Conference 2024” event report (PR TIMES)
○“SFT Conference 2024” summary video (SFT official YouTube)
The conference, which concluded with a “discussion about the future among next-generation leaders,” was full of youthful energy that will play a role in the future of international exchange and cooperation in sports. How did the participants perceive this conference? Yuka Abe, a graduate student in the Joint Department of International Development Studies in Sports (IDS) at the University of Tsukuba, spoke about her thoughts and learnings from participating in the event.
What is IDS, a human resources training organization specializing in international sports development?
Mr. Abe belongs toJoint Master’s program in International Development and Peace through Sport (IDS), University of Tsukubais a collaboration between the University of Tsukuba, Kanoya University of Physical Education, and Japan Sports Center (JSC), which specializes in international sports development and provides educational programs that develop practical skills related to international development and peace through sports. It is a human resources training institution.
According to IDS, sport is recognized by the international community as an important tool for social development.As activities through sports expand to solve social issues such as education, gender, poverty, health, and peacebuilding, human resources with more advanced knowledge and abilities are needed.It has been with.
The four educational goals of IDS
- Acquire knowledge and analytical skills regarding international situations and policies and international development issues, and develop a sense of mission.
- Acquisition of global perspective and leadership skills that can be demonstrated in practical situations
- Improving basic knowledge and practical skills regarding sports, physical education, and health
- Improving communication and management skills for international contribution
source:Sports and International Development Studies joint major website
Each year, JSC provides IDS graduate students with opportunities to deepen their practical learning and gain experience and connections that will lead to later career development, and SFT is one of the programs offered. . As Japan’s only independent administrative institution in the field of sports, JSC is unique in that it provides fields of activity, practical knowledge, and opportunities for interpersonal exchange.
Mr. Abe is one of the participants in the JSC program.SFT dispatches Japanese referees to the ASEAN Para Games (SFT official YouTube)As a follow-up to the project, I was also involved in the operation of a domestic invitation project for Cambodian para-sports personnel, which was held in September 2023.
Mr. Abe participating in the operation of the Cambodian domestic invitation project
In fact, Mr. Abe has been a “practitioner” of international sports exchange projects for some time. How did he perceive the international trends session at SFT Conference 2024 and the case presentations by the Japan Sports Agency Director-General’s Award Organization in light of his own experience?
Participating in a conference reaffirmed the value of “connecting through sports”
Yuka Abe: Based on my experience in regional development projects through sports and sports exchanges in Rwanda and India, I place particular importance on international contribution and exchange projects through sports.“Creating connections with people (social capital)” and the resulting “subjective well-being and sense of belonging to the community”is. Seeds Nishino’s presentation, which received the Japan Sports Agency Commissioner’s Award, was impressive in that he stated his vision of “increasing the total number of connections around the world through soccer.” During the presentation, he said, “We will make the world feel connected through the common denominator of sports, and that connection will lead to peacebuilding.” This is similar to the “practical value of contribution” that I felt in international exchange, and learning that this was realized in a practical setting led to a renewed recognition of the value of “connecting through sports.”
Abe teaching handball to children in Rwanda
(Photo provided by Yuka Abe)
— Mr. Abe said that Seeds Nishino’s initiatives include not only exchange through sports, but also activities such as school visits that allow people to learn about the culture of other countries. It is also noteworthy that he emphasized “experiencing ordinary “differences”.“International sports exchange programs are not about anything special, but about something as simple as bringing people from different cultures and backgrounds together through the common denominator of sports and experiencing each other’s differences. I realized once again that connections lead to cross-cultural understanding and peacebuilding, and that sports are effective in creating those connections.”I talked to him.
How to visualize and express the intangible value of sports
— Mr. Abe usually studies and researches international sports development from a theoretical perspective at IDS, University of Tsukuba. He also said that he gained a lot from the presentation by Yuhei Inoue, professor of sports management at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Business Administration, who gave an online presentation from the UK during the international trends session.
Yuka Abe: Mr. Inoue’s presentation on the “Framework for Social Impact Evaluation in Sports” was a great learning and discovery experience.While the value of sports is being praised these days, IThe value of sports lies largely in its intangible aspects.That’s what I think. As someone who is involved in the research field of development through sports,How to visualize and express it is very important.I felt that it was. The “social impact” that was announced this time is exactly what I think is a great value in sports. Learning the framework for evaluating these things was very helpful for my future research and my own sports-related activities. It is expected that conducting evaluations using this framework will lead to academic development in the field of international sports development in the future, and as Mr. Inoue mentioned in his presentation, it is the basis for the importance of investing in sports. I believe that demonstrating this will lead to the realization and development of “sport for all.”
Interaction and dialogue with people of the same generation who spoke at the youth session
―― Another benefit that Mr. Abe gained from participating in this conference was interacting with people of the same generation at the conference venue. In particular, he was greatly inspired by the next-generation leaders who are practicing international sports exchange and cooperation activities, who spoke at the “Youth Session” in Part 3.
Yuka Abe: It was nice to have a “youth session”. It will have great significance for the future development of the sports field for people of the youth generation, who will create the next generation, to connect and expand discussion in a place like this. Learning about the activities of people my age who spoke at the youth session provided an opportunity for dialogue. Even though we work in the same field, we rarely interact with each other, so I thought this was a very valuable opportunity, so I approached him proactively. In particular, I was able to exchange opinions with Mr. Hiratsuka from A-Goal about our current activities and future prospects for international exchange, and I was able to make new connections with people of the same age and in the same field of expertise.
From now on,If we can create more places to exchange opinions and create horizontal connections, this will lead to more active development through sports.I felt that. This time, I think communication between participants was left to the break time, but it might be a good idea to create opportunities for interaction as part of the program. I have been participating in SFT seminars and networking events, and I have strongly felt the importance of interacting with people I would not normally be able to interact with, as well as the necessity of hearing from participants. However, not all participants are familiar with the field of development through sports, and it may be difficult to interact with those who do not have much knowledge in the field, such as high school students, or those who are not involved in business. yeah. For example, as a participant, I would like to propose creating an opportunity for interaction, such as simple recreation or thinking as a team about international sports development issues.
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The Sports for Tomorrow (SFT) Consortium Secretariat, operated by the Japan Sports Council (JSC), collaborates with domestic sports-related organizations, local governments, private companies, universities, NGOs/NPOs, etc. on SPORT FOR TOMORROW activities. We are looking forward to your participation from those who can promote the event and those who support the next generation of leaders who connect with the world through sports and face social issues.
Click here for details on Sport for Tomorrow (SFT)
https://www.sport4tomorrow.jpnsport.go.jp/jp/
What is SPORT FOR TOMROW?
Sport for Tomorrow (SFT) is an initiative that aims to spread the value of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement to people of all generations around the world, including developing countries, through international exchange and cooperation through sport. . For eight years from 2014 to 2021, we formed a public-private consortium and were able to share the value of sports with over 13 million people in 204 countries and regions.
Internationally, UNESCO’s Kazan Action Plan (2017) and contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are examples of international initiatives that leverage the power of sport to create a sustainable and cohesive society. Efforts are underway, and Japan, in its position as a leader in such international movements, is expected to further engage in international exchange and cooperation through various sports.
While inheriting and developing the sports legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games, SFT will address the needs and issues in sports and society at home and abroad that have been recognized through past initiatives, and further promote international exchange and cooperation through sports through public-private partnerships. We will continue to promote this.