Participation in the 17th ASFAA Congress

1. About ASFAA

ASFAA, the Asian Sport for All Association (formerly known as the Asiania Sport for All Association), is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Sport for All movement in the Asian region. Its aim is to create a better world by fostering a healthy and active society for all through sport.

2. About the Congress

The congress was organized under the theme of 'Strengthening Family Relationships through Sport for All.' The program included keynote speeches by experts and scholars from around the world, a group session, a panel discussion, and participation in a local running event.

3. Panel Discussion

In the panel discussion, MAX Tamazawa highlighted the following points.

• Sports are not only for participating but also for spectating and supporting (as a volunteer). We should keep this basic principle of the 'Sport for All' movement in mind.
• By having children and parents/grandparents switch roles in a sport event, it provides opportunities to cultivate better mutual understanding among generations.
• To assist our partner municipalities in developing sport-related policies and encouraging their residents of all generations to participate in sports, we, Sasakawa Sports Foundation recommend conducting research on current situation, such as citizen’s sport participation rates, sport preferences, sport facilitations, etc.
• For municipalities, it is useful to provide information on adaptive sports such as Boccia and walking soccer, which are designed to accommodate individuals with varying physical abilities. By doing so, each municipality can facilitate sports and physical activity engagement for all residents, regardless of their age or physical strength.
• Taito Ward in Tokyo organizes a Boccia event on weekday evenings, welcoming adults of any age as well as children to join. The event consistently draws senior citizens, who enjoy the positive energy brought by children into their lives. Conversely, children raised in two-generation families can benefit from interacting with and learning how to care for the elderly. This case illustrates that Boccia is an inclusive sport that everyone can enjoy. We should create more adaptive sports to ensure people of all ages can participate in sporting activities. This could be one of the good examples of “Bridging Generations through Sport for All”.