The Power of Sport: TOMODACHI – U.S. Embassy Go for Gold Sports Leadership Program Year II Concludes in Tokyo, Japan

Hosted by the U.S.-Japan Council in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Tokyo and in collaboration with leading sports industry partners LA84 Foundation in Los Angeles and LeadOff Sports in New York, this year’s TOMODACHI – U.S. Embassy Go for Gold Sports Leadership Program wrapped up its journey of a lifetime with an afternoon reception on Friday, March 15th, 2024 in the Roppongi Hills Club in the Tokyo metropolis.

Marking another milestone in only this second year, delegates delivered their findings in three groups, this year’s presentations titled: ‘Japanese Sporting Leagues Forward to the World,’ ‘Increasing the Value of Women’s Sports,’ and ‘Visualizing Social Impact in Sport.’

The 50+ special guests included Philip Roskamp, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs – U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Andy Hata, Founder & CEO – Andy Corporation, Takehiko Nakamura, President & CEO – Blue United Corporation, Masashi Miyata, Subsection Chief, Sports Facilities Management Department – Tokyo Dome Corporation, and Tom Byer, Founder – Soccer Starts at Home.

Perhaps the essence of what this program means from the U.S.-Japan bilateral relations lens is best captured by the response to a question made by University of California, Los Angeles Robert Mechikoff, Ph.D. The professor hosted the delegates to his lecture ‘Sport in the Twentieth Century’ (this day covering Model for sport in place by late 1800’s) through Title IX that changed sports forever. When asked post lecture how Americans generally feel about Japanese athletes most recently, Shohei Otani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joining the LA Dodgers, he commented, “we welcome them and the positive impact they bring to professional sports across America.”

“I am deeply impressed by the speed these delegates processed information received over two weeks embracing the concept that new knowledge knows no bounds.” – Dr. Rei Yamashita, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, Toyo University (Mentor)

“We learned in the U.S. not only about the possibilities of the sports business and the great influence of sports but also about the passion of people and the importance of building relationships.” – Ryoma Nakagawa, International Business Management, Chuo University (Delegate)

We welcome and encourage qualified individuals to apply when Year III applications launch in Summer, 2024!