21 July 2021
With only two days until the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, thousands of school children have already felt the Olympic spirit through sports diplomacy activities.
The Australian Embassy in Tokyo has been engaging with Japanese partners through the AUS+RALLY sports diplomacy initiative, which supports Japan’s hosting of the world’s greatest sporting event and highlights Australia’s sporting culture in Japan.
Ahead of Tokyo 2020, the “Australian Olympic Connect Tomodachi 2021” program has been creating ties between young Australians and their counterparts in Japan.
The program is an Australian Olympic Committee initiative to link Australian schools with schools in the Olympic host country.
In 2020, 20 schools from Australia and 20 schools from Japan participated in the pilot of the program. Students from Australia and Japan met online through video conferencing or through email exchange and learned a great deal about each other’s countries and cultures.
The success of the pilot led to more than 600 school classes in both countries applying to participate in “Tomodachi 2021”. The program has built lasting connections, deepened cultural understanding and awareness of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Presenting and introducing in English – do you understand us?
At Akabane Elementary School in Minato Ward, Tokyo, fifth-grade children have been interacting online with Stansbury Primary School in South Australia. During two online exchanges in June and July, the students introduced their new friends to each other's schools, daily life, and the cultures of both countries.
The students at Akabane Elementary School prepared all the presentations in English and practiced hard before communicating with the students in South Australia.
To help the language exchange, Stansbury Primary School provided the presentation made by their students to the Akabane School after each session so the students could understand the content in detail. The efforts of the teachers to facilitate the exchange increased students’ interest in the next online class.
<Online exchange between Akabane Elementary School and Stansbury Primary School in South Australia in June 2021>
(photos: Australian Embassy, Tokyo)
Through Australia Olympic Connect ‘Tomodachi 2021’, more opportunities are being created to deepen the relationships between Australia and Japan, particularly in the younger generations.