Hiroshima to host international conference on sports and peace around time of Tokyo Olympics in 2020
Apr. 6, 2016
by Gosuke Nagahisa, Staff Writer
When Tokyo hosts the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2020, Hiroshima will hold an international conference on the theme of sports and peace, according to the municipal government. As the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima will be observed on August 6, 2020, which arrives during the time the games are held (July 24 to August 9, 2020), the conference in Hiroshima will be the centerpiece of the city’s efforts to commemorate this anniversary.
According to the city’s Sports Promotion Division, the conference will include keynote speeches by participants who are committed to the cause of peace, including members of the International Olympic Committee and Olympic medalists, along with panel discussions and sports events. The conference will be scheduled during the period of the Olympic Games and a declaration will be made and conveyed to the world.
The city will also encourage the participants to visit the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims and tour the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. As both Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be observing the 75th anniversary of the A-bomb attacks, the two cities will join forces in their efforts.
Some 420,000 yen has been included in the city’s initial budget for fiscal 2016 to pursue early preparations for the conference. The city will solicit support from the national government and the organizing committee for the Olympics and formulate a concrete plan. An official of the Sports Promotion Division said, “The Olympics is also a festival of peace. To fulfill this ideal, we hope to convey a message of peace and friendship from Hiroshima.”
(Originally published on April 6, 2016)
When Tokyo hosts the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2020, Hiroshima will hold an international conference on the theme of sports and peace, according to the municipal government. As the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima will be observed on August 6, 2020, which arrives during the time the games are held (July 24 to August 9, 2020), the conference in Hiroshima will be the centerpiece of the city’s efforts to commemorate this anniversary.
According to the city’s Sports Promotion Division, the conference will include keynote speeches by participants who are committed to the cause of peace, including members of the International Olympic Committee and Olympic medalists, along with panel discussions and sports events. The conference will be scheduled during the period of the Olympic Games and a declaration will be made and conveyed to the world.
The city will also encourage the participants to visit the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims and tour the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. As both Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be observing the 75th anniversary of the A-bomb attacks, the two cities will join forces in their efforts.
Some 420,000 yen has been included in the city’s initial budget for fiscal 2016 to pursue early preparations for the conference. The city will solicit support from the national government and the organizing committee for the Olympics and formulate a concrete plan. An official of the Sports Promotion Division said, “The Olympics is also a festival of peace. To fulfill this ideal, we hope to convey a message of peace and friendship from Hiroshima.”
(Originally published on April 6, 2016)
