[Special Feature: Tokyo 2020 and Keio University] <Hosting the British Team at Hiyoshi> The Untold Story of the British Representative Team's Pre-Games Training Camp: Six Years Behind the Scenes

2021/12/15

In hosting the British representative team's pre-games training camp at Keio University, many people were involved, including faculty, staff, and students at the Hiyoshi site, as well as those from the Mita and Shinanomachi campuses. I would like to provide a quick overview of the six years behind the scenes, from the signing of the contract with the UK to the present.

It was in January 2015 that the Executive Board decided to host the British team. In March, the BOA (British Olympic Association) visited Hiyoshi Campus for the first time, followed by the BPA (British Paralympic Association) in November.

Subsequently, Keio University signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding the use of facilities by the BOA with Yokohama City, Kawasaki City, and the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee). Up to this point, the Office of the President had primarily handled the administrative work, but from around this time, the Global Engagement Office (GEO), which serves as Keio University's window for overseas operations, also joined in and took on the role of liaison for the BOA and BPA.

The MOU was signed in February 2016, and next, a "Contract Regarding Partnership and Facility Use" was to be concluded between the BOA and Keio University. The BOA's draft contract detailed candidate facilities, usage methods, donations of training equipment, conditions for volunteers, interaction with Team GB through open practices and lectures, and the management structures and responsibilities of both parties. There was also a clause stating that facilities would not be lent to third-party countries. Naturally, it made me realize that this was a camp designed for winning.

At the GEO, under the advice of a lawyer, Administrative Director Eiko Sumida, my colleague Takashi Shimada (then Senior Staff), and I read the approximately 40-page draft contract. The initial proposal was basically a facility rental agreement, but at Keio University's suggestion, we added "Partnership" to the title of the final version. As a university, we wanted to clearly state that this was not just a facility rental, but also an international exchange project. We followed the same approach for the contract with the BPA. Additionally, the slogan for supporting the British representative team, "GO GB," was created together with the cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki as "Friends of Great Britain." This also reflects the sentiment of cheering them on as friends, going beyond the framework of fans or supporters.

In March 2017, a contract signing ceremony with the BOA was held at Hiyoshi. Ryo Tateishi, a Keio University alumni and 2012 London Olympics swimming bronze medalist, served as the MC, and student volunteers from the KEIO 2020 project assisted the signatories. The Wagner Society added to the excitement with a string quartet. A slideshow introducing the camp site posted on the Keio University Global Page (Facebook) was viewed 26,000 times.

In May 2018, an MOU signing ceremony was held between the BPA, Keio University, and the two cities. Para-judo athletes, who were visiting Hiyoshi for joint training, also participated. We held meetings with the British side online or during their visits to Japan, resolving issues one by one. From September 2017 to June 2021, there were approximately 50 such meetings.

From fundamental issues such as how to combine the facilities the British side wanted to use with club activities and the academic calendar while checking schedules, layouts, and flow lines, to equipment delivery, internet environments, meals, volunteers, public relations, and English signage inside and outside the facilities, the challenges and stakeholders were broad and complex. I believe the staff on the ground at Hiyoshi, including Yohei Namba (then Senior Staff), faced particularly many hardships.

Furthermore, from November 2015 to March 2020, various stakeholders ranging from logistics, procurement, public relations, and medical staff to coaches visited the university in groups of several to dozens, and each time, staff from Mita, Hiyoshi, and Shinanomachi accompanied them. The number of visits to Japan reached approximately 20 each for the BOA and BPA.

In January 2018, Caz Walton, a gold medalist at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics, also inspected the Hiyoshi Campus along with Anneli MacDonald, the person in charge of the ParalympicsGB Tokyo 2020 pre-games training camp, and officials from the British Embassy. Caz inspected the facilities from the perspective of a wheelchair user, and based on that, some rooms in the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex were renovated.

The sports that visited Japan by 2019 included swimming, artistic gymnastics, rowing, archery, and athletics for Team GB, and judo and rowing for ParalympicsGB. The Athletic Association's Swimming Club, Rowing Club, Archery Club, and Gymnastics Club practiced together with the British athletes, and as per the contract wording, a "partnership" with the UK was realized. Hiroki Muto, who won a bronze medal in the archery team event, was one of the participants in these joint practices.

We also planned exchange events. In October 2017, Bill Sweeney, then CEO of the BOA, gave a lecture on the legacy that the 2012 London Games brought to citizens and the region. The following year, in October 2018, a symposium on training was held at the Fujiwara Memorial Hall with Dr. Paul Ford, Deputy Chef de Mission for Team GB Tokyo 2020, and rowing and archery coaches. I remember students lining up below the stage to ask questions after it ended. In August 2019, a lecture on concussions in sports and a discussion with faculty and students were held between the British representative medical team, who visited Keio Hospital for an inspection, and the School of Medicine. These exchanges and inspections were featured in nearly 100 articles on the Keio University website and GEO social media.

In March 2020, the decision was made to postpone the Games. While the pros and cons of holding the event were being discussed, behind the scenes, a review of the camp plans began. A contract was signed with the BPA in November. With the BOA, a contract extension was finally established this March after a final confirmation at Hiyoshi with Prof. Nichola Phillips, the person in charge of the Team GB pre-games training camp, and others.

Then, on July 8, 2021, the Team GB pre-games training camp began. The GEO couldn't go to Hiyoshi very often, and I felt a chill every time my phone rang. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and I was able to meet Nichola one last time on August 2, just before they packed up. She told me, "You always thought about how to make things possible before saying you couldn't do it. I am grateful above all else."

The ParalympicsGB camp began on August 13. On the 22nd, Penny Briscoe (Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB at the Tokyo 2020 Games) visited Hiyoshi. She stated, "The facilities and staff make this a world-class camp. And the leadership is magnificent. Thank you so much."

It was a long summer. For six years, through coordination behind the scenes, we somehow managed to run to the finish line. I would like to pass on the words of Nichola and Penny exactly as they were to my colleagues.