【Project Activities】

Invited female wheelchair basketball players from Cambodia and implemented a program to facilitate exchange with Japanese players and deepen understanding of Japanese culture and the promotion of para-sports in Japan.
Examples: Tokyo: Visiting theme-related facilities and attending lectures on “Promotion and Initiatives of Para-sports in Japan” (Japan Para Sports Association, etc.). Oita: Visiting theme-related facilities, and conducting exchange, joint training, and friendly matches with Japanese wheelchair basketball players (Social Welfare Organization Taiyo-no-ie, etc.).

【Project Background】

Implemented as one of the program themes of “JENESYS,” a people-to-people exchange program promoted by the Government of Japan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to promote understanding of Japan.

【Project Objective】

・Purpose of JENESYS Project: To identify and nurture pro-Japan individuals and strengthen international communication.
・Program Purpose: By inviting female wheelchair basketball players from Cambodia to deepen their understanding of Japanese culture and para-sports initiatives and to interact with Japanese players, the program aimed to motivate players ahead of the “ASEAN PARA GAMES 2023” and to build further friendly relations between the two countries.

【Project Area】

International exchange through sports

【Methods】

Dispatch and invitation of athletes

【Outcomes】

・Promoted understanding of Japan (para-sports, Japanese culture, and considerations for people with disabilities) and mutual understanding; participants shared their program experiences on SNS and other platforms.
・19 Cambodian wheelchair basketball players and officials participated in joint training and friendly matches with Japanese players and officials, deepening the friendship between the two countries.

【Voices from Participants and Partners】

Participant: In Japan, people respect each other. It is hygienic and waste is separated; also, support for people with disabilities to move around is provided everywhere. I also thought that science and technology are very advanced. (Cambodian adult)
Collaborator: I had the opportunity to play wheelchair basketball with the Cambodian national team members. I was very happy that they treated me kindly, even though I have little experience and many things I cannot do yet. It was a great experience for me.

【Challenges and Lessons Learned】

It was necessary to confirm the degree of disability and wheelchair shapes in detail beforehand. In future implementations, it is necessary to pay attention to the number of elevators, the spaciousness, the width of hallways, and steps at visit sites and venues.

【URL】