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Coca-Cola and the Olympics Junior High Students and "Casual Sports"
Japan Coca-Cola, together with the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is jointly implementing the "Olympic Moves" project to support athletes and energize the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
This project is part of The Coca-Cola Company's CSR initiative "Active Healthy Living," which aims to "support active and healthy lifestyles by creating opportunities to engage with sports and exercise." As a top sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for nearly 90 years, Coca-Cola is jointly developing this global program with the IOC to address youth inactivity.
The project addresses the gap in exercise habits and physical fitness between Japanese junior high school students who participate in club activities daily and those who do not. It aims to create opportunities for all junior high school students to engage in healthy physical activity.
On December 19, the first-ever "Olympic Moves" event in Tokyo was held at Minami Junior High School in Higashikurume City. The school is one of Tokyo's Olympic and Paralympic Education Promotion Schools. Approximately 250 students from the school participated, along with Hiroyuki Murofushi, Sports Director of the Organizing Committee; Paralympic swimming medalist Keiichi Kimura; and three players from Nippon Sport Science University's badminton team. Mr. Murofushi stated in his address, "People participate in sports for various reasons, but today's activities involve slightly different sports. Let's experience the joy of achieving a common goal through teamwork."
The students challenged themselves in five events inspired by Olympic sports: "Bubble Soccer," "Caterpillar Rugby," "Baby Basketball," "Speed Lifting," and the "100cm Run." These are "casual sports" that anyone can enjoy, transcending athletic ability, skill level, race, and language.
Though initially hesitant, the students grew more energetic as they got accustomed to the games. The venue was filled with smiles and cheers all day long.
At a press conference held at the venue, Karil Younes, Vice President of Marketing & New Business at Coca-Cola Japan, stated: "This project began in the Netherlands in 2003. It later spread to Belgium and South Korea, and has now been implemented in Japan with its own unique style. Globally, it targets ages 12 to 19, but in Japan, we are focusing particularly on junior high school students. The first event was held in November at Shouei Junior High School in Shinchi Town, Soma District, Fukushima Prefecture. We hope to continue this initiative as a legacy beyond 2020 and contribute to making Japan a better country." Organizing Committee Secretary General Toshiro Muto stated, "Watching your competition made me want to try it myself. I sincerely hope such sports spread nationwide. I am deeply grateful that this meaningful project has started at this crucial time leading up to the 2020 Games."
Scenes from "Olympic Moves" in Fukushima Prefecture:
http://www.cocacola.co.jp/pacblog/olympic-moves-fukushima
World Yuru Sports Association: http://yurusports.com/
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