15 May 2017, 5:30-9:00 PM
Brunei Gallery Room, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS University of London, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
Keynote Speakers:
Tetsuya Kimura (Director-General, Japan Sports Agency)
Dr Helen Macnaughtan (Chair, SOAS Japan Research Centre)
Dr J Simon Rofe (SOAS University of London)
Organiser: SOAS Japan Research Centre, The Japan Foundation and the Japan Sport Council
Drinks Reception (sponsored by Sake Samurai)
The event is free and open to the public but registration is essential to guarantee a place.
Japan is due to host two sporting ‘mega-events’ in the next few years: The Rugby World Cup 2019 and The Summer Olympics, Tokyo 2020.
The build up to these events provides an opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future role of sport as an opportunity for diplomacy. This symposium focuses on mega-sporting events as a public diplomatic platform, and how it creates legacies for global community.
Sport Diplomacy is a relatively new and flourishing field in academia building upon the heritage of studies in sport and history, politics and sociology. With the 2019 and 2020 events on the horizon, this event will examine the role of sports throughout the history in Japan since the hosting of the Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo.
The symposium looks at sports’ versatility as a diplomatic communication medium, and how Japan approaches the unique opportunity of hosting mega-sporting events to leverage the power of sport in this time of globalization.
For full details, including registration and the event programme, please visit the SOAS website.
