A Symposium “LGBT x SPORT –What is happening in the world?” Held in Hamamatsu, Japan
As Japan is hosting the Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic games in four years time, LGBT x SPORT is a timely theme. The symposium on diversity in sport was an eye-opener for many participants. A Symposium on diversity in sport was held in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan on 12 March 2016. Hamamatsu-based Shizuoka Baseball Fan club, a general incorporated association, was the driving force for this event, supported by the city of Hamamatsu and JICA, an independent administrative institution.
A Symposium on diversity in sport was held in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan on 12 March 2016. Hamamatsu-based Shizuoka Baseball Fan club, a general incorporated association, was the driving force for this event, supported by the city of Hamamatsu and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an independent administrative institution.
The event was opened with a speech from the mayor of Hamamatsu, Yasutomo Suzuki. “LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) has been recognized much better than in the past, but this is still not enough. For the forthcoming Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic games, we have to work hard to provide all athletes good conditions to perform at their best. This means not only with the regard to the tangible side but to the intangible also”.
The guest lecturer was Maki Muraki, the representative of a nonprofit corporation, “Niji-Iro (rainbow color) Diversity”, a pioneer of LGBT related organizations in Japan. As an actual member of the LGBT community herself, Muraki gives lectures regularly in Japan and is a co-author of “LGBT at work”. “Research shows that more than 5% people in Japan are LGBT, but those people can not come out in this country. I believe sport remedies such situations” says Muraki. Muraki then showed examples from past Olympic games. During the Sochi winter games in 2014, LGBT activists were attacked by local police. That provoked a worldwide LGBT support campaign and as a result, the Olympic Charter was amended. In addition to already outlawed discrimination of “race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise”, sexuality is now included.
Meanwhile, in London Olympic in 2012, the organizers positively promoted LGBT in order to highlight their commitment to diversity. “Athletes can be a role-model, especially for youngsters. Top athletes like Ian Thorpe have a massive influence on society, so their support is precious. Sports also can offer the opportunities to gather and mix people no matter who they are. For the Tokyo Olympic games, we should build a good platform to promote diversity through sports, and that starts from a city like Hamamatsu!” Muraki concluded. Then about 30 participants exchanged their opinions in the lively interactive session. They were from various professions, such as a worker at a human rights promotion center, an administrative officer, a sports instructor and a sports related businessman. “Sport has the power to change the world” is a quote from legendary Nelson Mandela. This symposium will be the first one to be followed in many different times and places all over Japan.
【Event summery】 “The power of Sport- Diversity in the next generation” Date: 12 March 2016 15:00~17:00 Venue: Kamoe Art-center, Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka, Japan Website：http://lgbt-sport.peatix.com/ Organizer: Takehito Akima, Director of Shizuoka Baseball Fan club, E-mail：hamamatsu.baseball@gmail.com Co-Organizer: Akiko Shiozaki, co-founder of Seeds of Future Café, E-mail：sfuturecafe@gmail.com Supported by: the city of Hamamatsu, The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
About Shizuoka Baseball Fan club: Founded in 2015 in Hamamatsu, one of the leading cities in diversity promotions in Japan, this general incorporated association is committed to engaging with the local community through sport. Main activities include managing sports clubs / facilities, organizing sporting events or classes for the public, providing training sessions for coaches and planning international exchange programs through sport. ##### 【Global trends】Source:UNOSDP Sport has proven to be a cost-effective and flexible tool in promoting peace and development objectives. Since the inception of the MDGs in 2000, sport has played a vital role in enhancing each of the eight goals, a fact which has been recognized in numerous Resolutions of the General Assembly. In the Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sport’s role for social progress is further acknowledged: "Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives."
Due to its vast reach, unparalleled popularity and foundation of positive values, sport is ideally positioned to contribute towards the United Nations’ objectives for development and peace. To raise awareness of this potential, 6 April was declared as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) by the UN General Assembly. The adoption of this Day signifies the increasing recognition by the United Nations of the positive influence that sport can have on the advancement of human rights, and social and economic development.
##### For more information, please contact Shizuoka Baseball Fan club Management office Email: hamamatsu.baseball@gmail.com Tel: +81-(0)90-4176-1547
