The Diplomat
Spanish athletes competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, as well as the technical team accompanying them and the journalists covering the Olympic event, will receive a training program in Japanese culture and language thanks to a joint initiative of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), the Fundación Deporte Joven (FDJ), the Secretary of State for Global Spain and Casa Asia in collaboration with the Japan Foundation of Madrid.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release, the main objective of this course is “to provide the Spanish delegation attending the Olympic and Paralympic Games with basic notions about Japanese culture and language, as well as a series of guidelines on how to interact with Japanese society during their stay in that country”. The course, called Japanese Culture and Japanese Survival: Tokyo 2020 Games, consists of two training modules that can be accessed through a web platform designed for this purpose.
At the presentation of the course, held yesterday at the CSD, the Secretary of State for Global Spain, Manuel Muñiz, stressed that “athletes are among the four most valued factors of our image, along with our potential as a tourist destination, our gastronomy and the open character of the Spanish people.” “You are going to represent Spain and act as ambassadors of our country” and that projection of “foreign image” has to be “accompanied by measures and tools such as this course,” he continued. “Through sport you represent values such as effort, commitment, teamwork, but also factors such as excellence in sports infrastructure, healthy diet and technology, among others to help you overcome,” he added.
The Director General of Sports of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), Albert Soler, stated that “with this joint training initiative we offer our athletes the possibility of getting to know and get to know the Japanese culture, through an approach to their customs, idiosyncrasy and language”. “Sport, once again, becomes a first class social tool to bring countries and peoples closer, around common values framed in what we call sports diplomacy,” he added.
For his part, Javier Parrondo, general director of Casa Asia, valued this initiative because “it is the first time that the Spanish Olympic delegation will have the opportunity to approach the country before their arrival with a training program designed ad hoc with basic and eminently practical notions to function properly during their stay in the Japanese capital”.
