provided by the center, such as winter sports and outdoor sports including ocean sports and other water sports, and training at high altitude; and to designate these facilities as training centers for relevant competitive sports and network them with the national training center.

Regarding facilities and others to be built or installed within the premises of the national training center, the report pointed out matters to be noted for each athletics event and recommendations in building and installing the facilities.

MEXT launched a full-scale project to establish a national training center in FY2004, in order to provide the necessary training facilities in time for the Olympic Games that will be held in Beijing in 2008 (Figures 1-2-8 and 1-2-9).

## Outline of the Study Report on Establishing a National Training Center (Issued in June 2004)

### 1. Facilities to be built within the national training center located in the Nishigaoka District

## (1) Indoor training facilities

• For competitive sports for which JISS currently provides dedicated training facilities, including gymnastics, wrestling, and synchronized swimming, the existing JISS facilities will be utilized.

• For competitive sports that do not have dedicated training facilities, new facilities need to be established. These sports include volleyball, basketball, handball, badminton, table tennis, rhythmic sportive gymnastics, judo, and trampoline.

(2) Outdoor training facilities

• A 400-meter track should be provided for training for field and track events as well as for basic training in other sports.

• For competitive sports that require grassed grounds such as football and rugby, the Nishigaoka Soccer Stadium will be utilized for training in cooperation with JISS, which will involve camps to maximize the athletes' physical condition and training involving motion analysis.

(3) Lodging facilities

- JISS has lodging facilities that can accommodate up to approximately 80 persons. In order to accommodate more people when participating in large camps and camps for multiple athletic sports organizations held concurrently, it is necessary to add a large number of extra rooms.

2. Training centers for competitive sports for which the national training center that will be located in the Nishigaoka District cannot provide sufficient training facilities

(1) Concept

• For winter sports, ocean sports, and other water sports, and training at high altitude, for which the national training center cannot provide enough training facilities, existing facilities will be utilized as training centers for each of these sports.

## (2) Designation as training centers

• In designating existing facilities as training centers, it is necessary to give consideration to the current use of these facilities by separate competitive sports organizations and their opinions of the facilities as well as to their organizational systems and plans for improving the facilities to ensure linkage and cooperation with the national training center.

• MEXT will further examine the specific method of designation, including supportive measures for the designated training centers, in cooperation with the Japanese Olympic Committee and the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health (NAASH).