Gold Medallist Ai Shibata and Pikachu Cheer up Tohoku Children

Olympians including gold-medal swimmer Ai Shibata were joined by the world-famous Pokemon character Pikachu in a Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) organised day of sports and exuberant fun for children from northeast Japan’s Tohoku region on Sunday, 18 Mar.

The "Olympic Day Festa" in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture was part of JOC’s on-going series of "festa" events to encourage and support children from the earthquake-affected Tohoku region. Sponsorship is provided through the support of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia under the name of the "Tsubasa" IOC Support Project.

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

Said Shibata: "It is my second time to participate in this programme. Even if I wish to make a difference alone, at times it is difficult. Sports has the power to allow people to forget any problems they’re facing and to fully concentrate on one thing, while having fun simultaneously. Therefore, it is extremely important for events such as these to continue, providing a platform for athletes and children to interact as much as possible. I definitely plan on participating in such events as often as I can."

Kids from junior sports groups in Kurihara joined the event at the city’s Wakayanagi Stadium. Olympian athletes volunteered to help unite and energise everyone through the powerful medium of sport, providing personal instruction to the young participants. Pikachu’s presence delighted the children and filled them with enthusiasm and encouragement. Interacting in person with world-popular video-game characters brightened everybody’s day and created a joyful atmosphere.

The children took part in an opening ceremony comprising a torch relay and opening declaration. Afterwards, they were joined by the Olympians in a variety of fun activities, such as playing tag, jump rope and tug of war.

JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda commented: "On behalf of the Japanese sports community, I sincerely appreciate the heartwarming support from our friends in the Olympic Movement. Seeing these happy children interact with world-class athletes makes me proud of Japanese sports community. It is our duty to support the people in Tohoku by organising these events one after another. That’s why there will be another Olympic Day Festa soon, and many more to follow. By sharing the Olympic values of respect, excellence and friendship, we hope to bring and contribute to a positive and forward-looking impact on efforts for recovery in Tohoku and wish for continuous development the young generation in the years to come."

Along with Ai Shibata, participating athletes included Mitsuhiro Sato, Beijing 2008 Athletics Olympian; Chiemi Takahashi, Sydney 2000 Athletics Olympian; Ryuichi Shibata, Beijing 2008 Aquatics Swimming Olympian; Junichi Miyashita, Beijing 2008 Aquatics Swimming bronze medallist; Tomoyuki Hirose, Sydney 2000 Football Olympian; Saito Nobuharu, Beijing 2008 Volleyball Olympian.

This was the twelfth of the 60 Olympic Day Festas to be held by 2013 under the slogan "Smiles Come from Sports". Since creating the "Ganbare Nippon" (hang in there Japan) project last year, the JOC has been sending athletes to host Olympic Day Festas and other events in the quake-affected areas of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures. The JOC also has been donating money, sending relief goods and providing medical teams. More than 30 million yen has been collected for donation so far.

For more information, contact: y-nakamori@joc.or.jp

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