Local governments pin hopes on athlete host town project

August 2, 2017

TOKYO- Municipalities are gunning to revitalize their regions by taking part in the central government's project to encourage local governments to host foreign athletes and staff participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

In the project, registered municipalities are eligible for financial assistance for exchange programs with sports teams from abroad and renovations of local sports facilities. They may also receive state subsidies for regional revitalization and cultural promotion.

As of July 7, more than 250 municipalities were registered as hosts for 74 countries and regions.

While many registered municipalities are sticking their toes into the water, the city of Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, is among those that have jumped in.

Murayama hosts the preparation camps for Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics team. The city partners with food and drink maker Meiji Co., which provides a wide range of support using its knowledge related to Bulgaria and yogurt, a major food in the European country.

The Bulgarian team held its first preparation camp for about two weeks from June 14. During their spare time, the team visited a local garden for roses, the flower of both Murayama and Bulgaria.

During their stay in the city, Bulgarian gymnasts performed in front of an audience of some 3,500 at a public event.

Meiji provided yogurt every day to support the 26-member team. Company officials also held seminars on Bulgarian food.

The city hopes its relations with Meiji, a unit of Meiji Holdings Co. will be a legacy of the 2020 Games, municipal officials said.

In Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, the city of Sanmu has decided to host Sri Lankan athletes, seeking to take advantage of overseas economic growth in order to revitalize the region.

Sanmu has opened classes for local citizens to study Singhalese, an official language of Sri Lanka. "We want to train internationally minded people," a city government official said.

The number of Sri Lankans living in the city has increased to some 160. They are the largest group of foreign residents in the city.

Sajeewani Dissanayaka from the South Asian country, who works for the Sanmu government as a temporary employee, said a growing number of Sri Lankans visit Sanmu after hearing about exchange programs.

Some Sri Lankans say they want to become Sanmu citizens and put their children into local schools, Sajeewani said.

The city's efforts are paying off with local residents.

"I have a friend in Sri Lanka and I want to talk," said former public servant Hideo Asakura, who attends a Singhalese class hosted by Sanmu.

Sajeewani is confident that interactions between Japanese and Sri Lankan residents will increase if there are more opportunities to get in touch with each other. DMS