WADA and JADA highlight values at“2015 International Athlete Forum for 2020”
Athletes lead the charge for clean sport values in Tokyo

2 October 2015, Montreal/Tokyo: Athletes sent a positive message on the values of sport
at today’s “2015 International Athlete Forum for 2020”. The athlete-centered Forum, which
was held in Tokyo from 1-2 October, was co-hosted by the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA);
the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); and, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT). It was the first of its kind, which is as part of ‘PLAY TRUE2020’, ‘Sport for Tomorrow’ the Tokyo 2020 Legacy Project and Tokyo’s ‘2020 Young Athletes
Project’. More than 100 young athletes who are vying to compete at Tokyo 2020, and otherleading athletes who have retired from elite sport, joined the Forum.
WADA’s Athlete Committee members Claudia Bokel, Ben Sandford and Koji Murofushi (who isalso Tokyo 2020’s Sports Director); as well as, UK Anti-Doping athlete role model, Eilish
McColgan, joined the Japanese ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ and the JADA Athlete Committee
members at the Forum. Participants included JADA Athlete Committee chair and founding
WADA Athlete Committee member, Yoko Tanabe.
This was also the first international forum for Dr. Daichi
Suzuki, who became Commissioner for the JapanSports Agency on 1 October. Dr. Suzuki, an Olympic
gold medalist himself, was appointed as Commissioner
on the same day. He is also a former WADA Athlete
Committee member and is currently on the JADA
Athlete Committee.
In his opening address, Dr. Suzuki, said: “Anti-doping
activity is in place to protect the values of sport andsafeguard the rights of all athletes. I hope thismemorable forum will help promote the power of sport.”
WADA and Japan also held a signing ceremony, in order to renew the Japanese government’s
commitment to clean sport.
WADA’s regional directors staged two panels to help
illustrate their activities and the challenges they havesuccessfully adopted to implement a standardized
approach for the protection of clean athletes
worldwide. The athletes attending the Forum discussed
how they could use their power to disseminate positive
messages for the future of sport and for the youth oftomorrow.

“The International Athlete Forum in Tokyo provided an excellent opportunity for the anti-doping
community to promote sporting values, including the importance of fair play and clean sport,”
said WADA Director General, David Howman. “Involving former elite athletes to relay thesemessages to aspiring athletes was an innovative and effective way of carrying the clean sportmessage.”
The “PLAY TRUE 2020 Torch Relay” project was introduced by Koji Murofushi and JADA Senior
Manager, YaYa Yamamoto. In line with the theme of the Forum, the project enables athletes
from numerous countries, sports and generations to relay the ‘truth’ as discovered throughsport in a Japanese scroll, called a makimono.
On the second day of the forum, more than 100 young athletes were presented as the ‘Leadersof Tomorrow‘. Led by JADA Athlete Committee member, Megumi Ikeda, these aspiring athletes
were grouped with the former leading elite athletes. Together, they experienced the ‘Let’s NewMO!’ activity, a new generation of sumo conceived by Koji Murofushi. Based on its ‘Fair for All,
Respect and Fun’ principle and values, the athletes discussed ways to come up withappropriate rules and tried their own New MO!

Following this activity, Yoko Tanabe, JADA’s Athlete Committee Chair, said: “the two-day Forum
was hugely successful. It is increasingly important for the ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ to think about
the rules as they relate to the values of sport, which is something we all cherish. I am very
pleased that young athletes sent a clear message out for their future of their sport.”
PLAY TRUE 2020 will continue to highlight the positive values in sport for the development ofyoung people and for the benefit of wider society.
PLAY TRUE 2020, Sport for Tomorrow – Project site
http://playtrue2020-sp4t.jp/

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