Japanese Olympians say make everything more beautiful than it was

22 | 6 | 2019

Olympians in Japan have been using their voice to raise awareness around sustainability and environmental protection for Olympic Day 2019.

Building on the growing global climate change movement, the Olympians Association of Japan (OAJ) has joined forces with the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) to put out the message ‘make everything more beautiful than it was’, urging people to give back to rather than take away from the environment.

Eight Olympians were involved in recording video messages that will be shared globally in the lead up to Olympic Day.

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games now just over a year away, Olympians across Japan have been getting active to inspire future generation to live by the Olympic values.

One of the key pillars of next year’s Games is Tokyo 2020’s environmental platform, with sustainability and a commitment to contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) core concepts underpinning the development and delivery of the global sporting event.

Japanese Olympian and WOA Executive Committee member, Mikako Kotani, said:

“Protecting the environment for future generations is not only an important message but it is our duty as both Olympians and as global citizens. We are committed to making everything more beautiful than it was by encouraging everyone to play their part for the environment.”

Olympic Day is celebrated globally on 23 June each year to mark the anniversary of the modern Olympic Games. Olympians everywhere are encouraged to get active and help promote the Olympic values and the Olympic Day pillars of move, learn, discover.

Make sure you share your Olympic Day activities on social media using the hashtag #OlympicDay and tagging @worldolympians (Twitter) and @worldolympiansassociation (Facebook).