Shota Iizuka (Mizuno), a top track and field short distance athlete, has competed in three consecutive Olympic Games up to Tokyo, most notably when he won the silver medal in the 400m relay at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games as the “Relay Samurai,” and the whole country went crazy over his performance. He is a leading active athlete who also competed in the World Championships in Budapest in August of this year.
Iizuka is not only a top athlete, but also has a strong desire to interact with athletes, youth, and children from various backgrounds overseas, including developing regions, while he is still active. He and his coach, Hirohiro Toyoda (Chuo University), with whom he has had a mentor-disciple relationship for many years, were able to visit Rwanda, East Africa from October 24 to 26, where they interacted with and coached local athletes with the help of JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. This was the second consecutive overseas visit for the two, following their visit to Bangladesh in November 2022.
Shota Iizuka (behind the athlete) and a young Rwandan track and field athlete (center) teaching a new way to prepare for practice.
Coach Hirohiro Toyoda (right) and supporting track and field team member Risa Hayashi (left)
Shota Iizuka (from right) has a preliminary meeting with local soccer club officials (left) at the soccer exchange,
Kohei Shidzawa soccer team members and Coach Hirohiro Toyoda
JICA has positioned “Sports and Development” as one of the priority issues for international cooperation. JICA’s Overseas Cooperation Volunteers have dispatched a total of approximately 5,000 people to 90 countries in this field since the program began in 1965. JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers have been dispatched to 90 countries to date. JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers have been involved in the promotion and strengthening of sports through their sports corps members (a total of 28 sports) and in education through their physical education corps members.
Risa Hayashi is currently working in Rwanda in the athletics field, teaching athletes and coaches who dream of becoming top-level athletes and competing on the world stage in the future at the junior and senior high school level track and field clubs. When Iizuka decided to come to Rwanda, he was looking forward to the chance to experience the world-class skills of the athletes.
Iizuka participated in the school’s relay competitions and challenge events, where he showed off his great running skills, and the field was very excited to see him in action. In the practice session for young athletes and coaches, Iizuka himself demonstrated and gave advice on how to use the “starting block,” which neither athletes nor coaches had ever experienced before, and how to be aware of how to match the movement of the feet with the shoulders, hips, and hands. The lesson was short, but very fulfilling. Mr. Hayashi also commented, “Iizuka’s and Coach Toyoda’s advice helped me change my movements more and more, and one of the students said to me after the practice, “My running has changed! I improved!” After practice, one of the students said to me, “My running has changed! The joy of seeing the change in themselves and being able to do what they couldn’t do before was evident on the faces of the athletes. One of the athletes, who will compete in the 100-meter run in two weeks, happily commented, “I learned the importance of keeping my arms straight and how to move my legs through this training. I am confident that what I learned will help me win in the future. The players seemed to feel a great response to the training.
Iizuka also participated in a soccer exchange program between the local academy and the Rwandan team members, including Kohei Kajikazawa, who is currently working as a soccer player. In addition to a warm-up session with Iizuka, the Japanese team won a close match in the Rwandan-Japanese rivalry game. Mr. Shibizawa commented, “The conditions were not always as we had expected due to the rainy season, but seeing Iizuka’s flexible and flexible approach to everything, regardless of the thing, place, or person, made me realize how amazing top athletes who compete on the world stage really are. I was very much inspired.
Although it was only a two-day stay, the impact of Iizuka and Coach Toyoda was great, and it provided a wonderful opportunity to convey the joy and value of sports to local people, including junior high and high school students.
Iizuka also told the students, “Don’t compare yourself with others, set what you are aiming for, and think about how you can reach it. The process of getting there is just as important as the result. Iizuka also gave the following advice to the students: “Don’t compare yourself with others. I was surprised at the high potential of young Rwandan track and field athletes. I think they will become stronger with more practice, so I am looking forward to seeing them in the future. And I want to come back to Rwanda to run again! He also expressed his hope to continue to cooperate with the team members by providing advice on training methods and other assistance.
Sports have diverse ways to enjoy themselves and have the power to connect people beyond differences in language, culture, religion, and other social backgrounds. It also has the power to bring fun, enthusiasm, and excitement, and to attract many people. Sports, which promote mutual understanding and bring people from different regions together, are considered an effective means of leading to the realization of a peaceful society, and JICA places great importance on them in its cooperation with developing countries. JICA will continue its efforts to realize a “peaceful world where everyone can enjoy sports” through overseas cooperation teams and other means, taking the valuable exchange and guidance provided by the two participants as a starting point.
*JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Fall Recruitment is now open. The application period is from November 1 to December 11. For more information, please visit JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
Photo with young players from the Rwanda Dream Team Football Academy after the event
© Source JICA