Agitos Foundation partners with Sport for Tomorrow, Japan

“The next four years ahead of Tokyo 2020 will see a huge increase in awareness around para-sport in the Asian region and we want to ensure that NPCs are ready to capitalise on that. "

The development arm of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Agitos Foundation, has announced a partnership with Sport for Tomorrow to grow para-sport in south-east Asia ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The launch will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between 27-28 February, supported by the Nippon Foundation and Japanese Paralympic Committee.

It marks the start of a new para-sport management programme, which aims to empower the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam to strengthen their structures through collaborative working and training.

Leaders from the NPCs will initially gather in Kuala Lumpur to hear about the programme and share their strengths and the challenges they face in all aspects of developing para-sport.

They will present the situation in their countries to the group, discuss the regional position, and get the chance to enjoy competition at the IPC Powerlifting World Cup.

Each NPC will then nominate two young leaders and managers or directors responsible for para-sport to take part in a training workshop in Tokyo, Japan, in late 2016.

This training will include elements of the Agitos Foundation’s Organisational Capacity Programme, which is already successfully supporting NPCs around the world with their development.

Takumi Kawahara, Director of the Secretariat of the Sport for Tomorrow Consortium, said:

“The sport for tomorrow programme is one of the Japanese Government’s commitments to leverage the power of sport and further promote the Olympic and Paralympic Movements to create a bright future for people throughout the world.

“This training programme is co-organised by the Japan Sport Council and Agitos Foundation in collaboration with Japanese Sport Committee and Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Centre, and I expect the training workshop would contribute to enhancing the capacities of NPCs to further promote sports for people with an impairment.”

Georg Schlachtenberger, Director of the Agitos Foundation, said: “The Agitos Foundation’s reach is rapidly expanding and we are delighted to now partner with the Japan Sport Council as part of Sport for Tomorrow, alongside the Nippon Foundation and Japanese Paralympic Committee.

“The next four years ahead of Tokyo 2020 will see a huge increase in awareness around para-sport in the Asian region and we want to ensure that NPCs are ready to capitalise on that.

“Our aim is for them to improve their grassroots and high performance programmes, develop and refine talent identification, and build partnerships with organisations and sponsors.

“This way we will help secure the legacy of Tokyo 2020 for generations to come.”

For more information about the Organisational Capacity Programme visit the Agitos Foundation's website.