Tokyo 2020 Establishes Partnership with Agitos Foundation and Japanese Paralympic Committee

Will contribute to human resource development in the field of Paralympic sports under the "Road to Tokyo 2020" programme

Tokyo, 26 April 2019 - The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo

2020) today signed a memorandum of understanding entitled "Road to Tokyo 2020" with the Agitos

Foundation and the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC), under which the three organisations will

cooperate with the aim of developing human resources and expertise in the field of Paralympic sports. It

is intended that this should become one of the legacies of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

During the build-up to the Games, Tokyo 2020, the Agitos Foundation and the JPC commit to sharing

knowledge and expertise from more advanced sporting nations, including Japan, among the National

Paralympic Committees (NPCs) of other countries, particularly those in Asia. The partnership also aims

to help promote the Paralympic Movement globally via a coordinated programme of human resource

development.

Working with various stakeholders, Tokyo 2020 plans to adopt and implement a similar programme to the

"Road to The Games" project conducted by the Agitos Foundation at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Under what will be known as the "Road to Tokyo 2020" programme, a range of international sport

promotions—legacies of past Games—will be organised in conjunction with events forming part of the

Japanese government’s "Sport for Tomorrow" initiative. With the support of that initiative, "Road to Tokyo

2020" will incorporate a wide range of activities and events.

"Road to Tokyo 2020" Programme

The partnership has the following objectives and plans to collaborate on the following activities:

- enhancing the administrative capacities and standardising the technical knowledge of NPC’s

across the world with regard to Paralympic sports

- improving the operation and structures of the NPCs and national federations across the world,

developing coaches’ expertise and improving para athletes’ performance through training

- elevating the technical knowledge of coaches and educating athletes to raise the bar of the

Paralympic movement

- promoting awareness of the Paralympic Movement and promoting the achievements and stories

of the world’s greatest para-athletes

Collaborative activities

1. The Agitos foundation will invite experts from international sport organisations to participate in

seminars offering training on the coaching of Paralympic sports and on sports management; in

addition, a training camp will be organised. The details are as follows:

November 2019 -- Seminar on coaching -- Judo, Taekwondo, Archery and Powerlifting

February 2020 -- Seminar on coaching and sports management --Table Tennis, Badminton and Swimming

April - May 2020 -- Training camp -- Athletics and Swimming

2. Programmes will be created to train and develop human resource in the field of Paralympic sports

via the "Sport for Tomorrow" programme, an international effort led by the Japanese government. These will include the following:

Item: Program for Strategic Bilateral Partnerships through Sports by the Japan Sports Agency

Content: Targeting para athletes and coaches in countries and regions which did not participate in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games; the following activities will be organised:

- Short term training in Japan

- Support for the participation in competitions certified by the

International Federations to be eligible (sport class, etc.) for the

greater competitions

- Sending coaches to those countries and carrying out follow-up

research

Item: Group and Region Focused Knowledge Co-Creation Program [Promotion of Social Participation of Persons with

Disabilities through Sports] operated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency

Content: Giving persons with disabilities the opportunity to learn sport as a tool for their

empowerment and for promotion of their social participation through the interaction

between persons with and without disabilities; also allowing other countries to

acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to provide sport opportunities for

persons with disabilities on such issues as rules, trainers’ training, training material

development and public relations.

Participants: Leaders, instructors of associations of sports for persons with

disabilities, officers in charge of promotion of social welfare of persons with

disabilities.

IPC President Andrew Parsons commented, "The ‘Road to the Games’ Programme has become one ofthe most important sporting legacies of the Paralympic Games. It will have a significant impact on thedevelopment of the Paralympic Movement – especially in Asia – providing opportunities for NationalParalympic Committees, athletes and coaches."

Rita van Driel, chair of the Executive Committee of the Agitos Foundation also commented, "Knowledgesharing is one of the most important tools to strengthen the Paralympic Movement, providing valuablelessons from successful experiences and raising awareness of our values. I would like to thank the Tokyo2020 Organising Committee and NPC Japan for their support to such an important project in partnershipwith the Agitos Foundation."

Added Mitsunori Torihara, JPC Chairman, "It gives me great pleasure to conclude a memorandum ofunderstanding for the ‘Road to Tokyo 2020’ programme. Leveraging the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,we will do our best to further develop the Paralympic Movement by increasing the number of coachesand supporting the training of athletes in other countries by sharing our knowledge through internationalexchange and by developing human resources in the field of Paralympic sports in Japan. This project willallow us to create and strengthen relationships with those who are active in the Paralympic Movement inother countries. It will also enable us to improve the sports environment for people with an impairment inJapan, and help realize a more vibrant inclusive society."

Added Toshiro Muto, Tokyo 2020 CEO, "Since our establishment, our aim has been to help realise a moreinclusive society via the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. We acknowledge the importance of developinghuman resources in the field of Paralympic sports, including athletes and coaches, for the developmentof the Paralympic Movement.

We are delighted to sign an MoU and kick off these initiatives, which we believe will become legacies ofthe Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. We believe that the programme will lead to an increase in the numberof people with relevant skills and to an expansion of the range of Paralympic sports. Leveraging the Tokyo2020 Paralympic Games, we will contribute to the promotion of the Paralympic Movement with thesupport of our partners and hopefully progress towards the realisation of a more inclusive society."

"Road to the Games" Programme

The "Road to the Games" programme comprises a systematic approach to human resource developmentdriven by the Agitos Foundation aimed at strengthening the legacy of major sporting events and achievingsustainable growth in the Paralympic Movement across the world. The programme offers a series ofworkshops to improve the training and know-how of officials, coaches, classifiers, managers and athletes.Since its commencement in 2013, 31 workshops had taken place involving more than 500 participants –including sport managers, national coaches, national classifiers and athletes – from across the world asof May 2018.

"Sport for Tomorrow" Programme

The "Sport for Tomorrow" programme is an international contribution through sport initiative led by the

Japanese government and jointly implemented by public and private sectors, which promotes sport to

more than 10 million people in over 100 nations until 2020, the year when Tokyo will host the Summer

Olympic and Paralympic Games. It aims to deliver values of sport and promote the Olympic and

Paralympic movement to people of all generations worldwide.

URL: https://www.sport4tomorrow.jp/

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