Today, a meeting was held between Deputy General Director and Head of the Office of the President of the ROC Rodion Plitukhin with members of the Japanese delegation presenting the Host City programme in Moscow.
Created by the initiative of the Government of Japan, this programme provides for the organisation of a network of cities where, during and after the 2020 Olympics, athletes, members of official delegations and fans will be able to get acquainted with the rich culture and traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun, engage in various training programmes and exchange experience.
– We are glad to welcome you at the headquarters of the ROC, – Rodion Plitukhin addressed the guests. – We appreciate the very attentive attitude of the Japanese side in approaching the issues connected with the upcoming Olympic Games. In turn, I would like to emphasise that we are fully interested in developing our mutual cooperation and would be glad to listen to your suggestions during our meeting.
– Now we have entered the final stage of preparation for the 2020 Games, – announced Masahiro Kaneko, representative of the secretariat of the headquarters of the 2020 Games under the Japanese government. – Of course, all of Japan will cheer for its athletes during the Games, but we also look forward to the successful performance of the Russian Olympic team. The new Host City initiative of the Japanese government implies the possibility of organising pre-competition acclimatisation gatherings for various sports teams, as well as establishing closer ties in regard to cultural and educational issues.
To date, six cities have expressed a desire to host athletes from Russia: Niigata, Kamo, Ikeda, Munakata, Oita and Nemuro. All of them have long-standing cultural and historical ties with Russia and will be glad to welcome representatives of your Olympic team. This will definitely help strengthen Russian-Japanese relations, – emphasised Mr. Kaneko.
According to Rodion Plitukhin, the Host City programme is a prime example of how sport helps build rapport between two distinct cultures, different in essence, but similar in spirit.
– We first heard about the Japanese government’s initiative in November during the ANOC General Assembly in Tokyo. Today, we received specific information, which once again proves the importance and necessity of such meetings, – said Rodion Plitukhin.
The meeting highlighted the fact that the ROC is the main organisation dealing with issues of international sports cooperation in Russia.
– Often sports federations, when receiving various invitations to cooperate in the framework of international programmes and projects, simply do not have their own resources. That is why they apply for financial support from the ROC. On our part, we try to facilitate the implementation of the proposals put forward, closely working with colleagues from the Ministry of Sports who are involved in administrative matters, – said Rodion Plitukhin.
As part of the meeting, both sides held consultations on the issue of concluding an agreement on bilateral cooperation, the signing of which is planned in the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum due to be held from 4-6 September in Vladivostok. The agreement envisages organising expanded sports exchanges, arranging various friendly matches and training events, both in Japan and Russia.
