A Practical Investigation of Olympic Education in Disaster-affected Tohoku Region: Analysis of High School Students' Image of ‘Recovery Olympics’ and Current Issues

• Published in: International Journal of Sport and Health Science Vol. 20; pp. 26 - 36
• Main Authors: Takahashi, Mihoko, Kajita, Kazuhiro, Rakwal, Randeep
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Society of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences 2022; Japan Society of Physical Education, Health and Sport sciences
• Subjects: Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE); Olympic education; Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic; Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS)
• ISSN: 1348-1509; 1880-4012
• DOI: 10.5432/ijshs.202047

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games referred to as “Recovery Olympics” are supposed to encourage in recovery of the Tohoku regions affected by the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake. Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies established in 2015 as part of SPORT FOR TOMORROW initiative under Japan Sports Agency has since been holding Olympic education program every year at Rikuzentakata City, one of the disaster-affected areas. However, few studies have examined the contents of Olympic (or Paralympic) education in these areas. Therefore, this study shares knowledge through practice of Olympic education in a high school with an aim to suggest better practice in the area for its continuation post-2020. In 2019, an Olympic education class for 120 high school students was conducted followed by an open-ended questionnaire survey to the students. Questions consisted of: i) impressions of the class, ii) image of Tokyo 2020 Games, iii) current self-challenges and regional issues, and iv) how to use the Olympics. Text mining the obtained data revealed that respondents had a positive image of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Self-challenges and regional issues associated with reconstruction were clarified in answers to the survey, where some respondents revealed their future designs to contribute towards the development of local community. Some respondents also connected the class learning contents to providing solutions for local issues. Overall, the findings as discussed in this study were considered as useful knowledge for future practical Olympic education.