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Mexican Olympic team agrees to hold training camp in Hiroshima Prefecture

by Hiroshi Ebisu, Staff Writer

The training camp for the Mexican Olympic team will be located in Hiroshima Prefecture for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it was decided on May 25. With the chance to build relationships, engage in exchanges of sports and culture, and benefit economically, the competition to bring training camps to local municipalities in Japan has grown fierce. Hiroshima, which is situated some distance from Tokyo, was chosen because of economic links, particularly the car industry, and the desire for peace felt by the Mexican people, who are interested in the progress of nuclear disarmament.

On the evening of May 24, one day before the agreement was concluded, Carols Padilla, the president of the Mexican Olympic Committee (MOC), spoke from a hotel room overlooking the city center. “When Hiroshima extended its invitation to the Mexican team, to hold our training camp here, I thought this was an interesting idea,” he said. “We may be able to do something to promote peace, the spirit of the Olympic Charter.”

Last April, Hiroshima Prefecture, which had decided to offer a training camp for the Tokyo Olympics, had narrowed down its hopes to Mexico. Mexico is expected to generate strong economic growth in the future, and there is a factory of the Mazda Motor Corporation, based in Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture, in the state of Guanajuato, which has concluded an agreement on economic exchange. With the year 2020 marking the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Hiroshima also took into account the fact that Mexicans are outspoken supporters of nuclear abolition.

Personal contacts led to success

A local subsidiary of Mazda Motor Corporation served as the first contact, then Hiroshima Prefecture approached the MOC to begin discussing the training camp idea. Hiroshima also asked the governor of Guanajuato to telephone Mr. Padilla to convey the enthusiasm of the people of Hiroshima.

This process, however, was not without its challenges. Other municipalities also sought to attract the Mexican team, including Fukuoka Prefecture, which has staged many international sporting events; Saitama Prefecture, located in the Tokyo metropolitan area; and Shizuoka Prefecture, which is also not far from Tokyo. Mitsuhiro Dehara, a senior policy administrator for Hiroshima Prefecture, said, “The other prefectures had a geographical advantage so we had no choice but to make the first move.” Last November, Mr. Dehara traveled to Mexico for this purpose, with Morinari Watanabe, who has strong ties to the MOC.

Mr. Watanabe was the executive director of the Japan Gymnastics Association and had just assumed a post with the International Federation of Gymnastics in October. Mr. Watanabe had worked at a major retail group with Yoshiaki Nakashita, the vice-governor, who had been brought in from the private sector. Mr. Watanabe helped sway the MOC leaders when he told them, “I came here today for the sake of Hiroshima.” According to Mr. Dehara, the MOC responded by agreeing to begin official negotiations the next day.

On May 23, when Mr. Padilla arrived in Hiroshima, he visited the Peace Memorial Museum located in Naka Ward. He stressed that he felt the significance of the history and the resilience of the A-bombed city, saying, “I was very moved. I want the young athletes to experience this, too.” He asked to meet with an A-bomb survivor, which had not been part of his schedule, and listened closely to the survivor’s experience. Mr. Padilla said, “I was struck by the words, ‘We have no time to hate people.’ I hate nuclear weapons and I want to help abolish them.”

Mr. Padilla praised Hiroshima’s welcoming spirit and appealing character, its rebirth from tragedy, the food here, and the facilities for training. “I wanted to see the reality with my own eyes,” he said. “My choice was the right one.” Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympics and Paralympics, also told him that Hiroshima was the ideal choice.

Governor pledges full support

On May 25, the signing ceremony for the basic agreement was conducted in Minami Ward. Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki described it as a historic milestone and pledged the full support of the unified public and private sectors. Before the heads of municipalities in Hiroshima Prefecture and people involved in area sports, Mr. Padilla pledged that the Mexican athletes would produce better results than ever at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, following their training camp in Hiroshima. The team from Mexico will visit Hiroshima as early as next year for an international competition or for the first taste of their training camp for the Tokyo Olympics.

(Originally published on May 26, 2017)

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