Japan Press Weekly

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2014 December 3 - 9 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

2020 Summer Olympics should be a venue to accept different cultures: Olympic medalist

Olympic hammer throw gold medalist Murofushi Koji in an Akahata interview said that he hopes that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will contribute to making Japan a nation accepting different cultures.

In June, Murofushi took up the post as sports director in the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and the Paralympic Games, the committee which is in charge of negotiations with various international sports associations. Akahata recently interviewed him on his objectives for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Stressing the need for a peaceful and pacific atmosphere at the Olympics, Murofushi said that there is more to this sports event than just winning in the competitions. In the Olympics, people understand and respect their different backgrounds and cultures and together work for the same goal, he pointed out. He expressed his hope that the 2020 Summer Games will contribute to spreading this sentiment across Japan.

Murofushi went on to say that for international level sport athletes, it is important not only to win medals but also to be able to express their opinions on many issues, such as on the operations of sports competitions.

He indicated his intention to introduce a reform proposal to all sports organizations by using his experience of having dealt with improvement in track and field events as a track and field athlete.