From Tuesday October 24 to Thursday 26, 2023, Mr. IIZUKA Shota, a Japanese Silver Medalist in 2016 Rio Olympic Games in 400m Relay in Track and Field will visit Rwanda together with Mr. TOYODA Yasuhiro, who is his Personal Coach. As one big step proceeding to achieve our common goal of “Sports for All” together, JICA invited Mr. IIZUKA Shota, and Mr. TOYODA Yasuhiro. JICA will hold sports events with them in collaboration with JICA volunteers and related Rwandan organizations. Currently JICA dispatched 30 Japanese volunteers to Rwanda, including Mr. KAJIKAZAWA Kohei, coach of football in Rwanda Former Footballer Association in Kigali and Ms. HAYASHI Risa, coach of Athletics in Rwanda Athletics Federation. Both volunteers work here to promote sports with the philosophy “Sports for All” both in Rwanda and Japan.
Mr. IIZUKA Shota is an active athlete who has had a great performance in many championships and games. Through the joint athletic training in Rwamagana scheduled on October 25th, Rwandan young athletes and their coaches in Track & Field will get an opportunity to learn training skills and methods from Mr. Iizuka and Mr. Toyoda, which could improve their performance as well as coaching skills for future use. On the same day, in the morning, Mr. Iizuka will join the Physical Education interactive session through which students will get an opportunity to challenge him in 50m splints. Besides, Rwandans including national football club members and Japanese volunteers in Rwanda will interact with Mr. Iizuka through a football mini-game in Kigali on October 24th.
JICA sets “Sports and Development” as one of the JICA Global Agenda, aiming to realize a peaceful society where everyone can equally enjoy sport, regardless of gender, social status, and other restrictions. For achieving the agenda, JICA has been engaged in overseas cooperation activities in sport at the grass roots level since the 1960s through the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) program. JOCV program in Rwanda started in 1987, and since then, more than 350 JOCV have been dispatched to this country. Among them, about 20 volunteers have worked in the field of Sports including Physical Education. (End)