TIAS Organizes Swimming-based Sports Education Program at SJ50 Sports Conference in Singapore as Part of Japan's "Sport for Tomorrow" Initiative

- Promoting Olympic and Paralympic Movements in Southeast Asia -

TSUKUBA, Japan, May 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS) helped promote the opening session of the SJ50 Sports Conference held on May 2, 2016, in Singapore as well as organizing the second session themed on the Sports Education Program, which used swimming as a medium for the implementation of the Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP).

(Photo1: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/prwfile/release/M102979/201605100453/_prw_OI1fl_R70gIvZo.JPG)
(Photo2: https://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201605100453/)

Guests at the opening session included Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki. Topics included the Japanese government's sports-based international cooperation initiative "Sport for Tomorrow," promotion of sports, Japan-Singapore relations, and Olympic education. TIAS Chairman Hisashi Sanada introduced Japan's past Olympic & Paralympic education.

The second session, the Sport Education Program, formed part of activities surrounding both the OVEP Implementation Program proposed by the International Olympic Committee and Sport for Tomorrow. OVEP AQUA, developed by TIAS, a swimming-based extension of the OVEP Implementation Program, provided a practical extension of the themes addressed in the conference's opening session. Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Suzuki, TIAS Chairman Sanada and TIAS Professor Hideki Takagi served as instructors, offering coaching and guidance.

The aim of TIAS involvement in this program was to contribute to both Sport for Tomorrow and the promotion of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia, and TIAS aims to continue such contributions in the future.

The Sport Education Program organized by TIAS began with a presentation by TIAS Chairman Sanada on OVEP and its implementation. This was followed by OVEP AQUA, a new educational swimming program with a focus on the ideal of "respect for others," one of the five core Olympic values that OVEP seeks to instill. OVEP AQUA was developed by TIAS to enable participation by anyone, regardless of swimming ability, disability, age, or other factors.

Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies

Established by the Japan Sports Agency as part of Sport for Tomorrow, a government initiative to promote sports, along with the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. It offers Japan's only degree course in sport and Olympic studies, and is an IOC-approved institute of research on Olympic education.

URL: http://tias.tsukuba.ac.jp/