NOC SL signs futuristic sports MOU with Hashima City
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The picture shows NOC SL General Secretary Maxwell de Silva signing the MoU with Mayor of Hashima City while Assistant Secretary NOC SL Chandana Liyanage looks on.
The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka entered into a fruitful sports agreement with Satoshi Matsui, the Mayor of Hashima City Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Sri Lanka National Olympic Committee’s Secretary General Maxwell de Silva signed this MoU looking beyond the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which is also due to be held in Japan.
This multifaceted agreement has many features that would help Lankan athletes who are due to perform at Tokyo 2020 over there and install certain programmes looking beyond the Japan Games.
Initially there would be an exchange programme for the Sri Lankan Team that will take part at the Games. There the People of the City of Hashima would contribute in more than one way to help Sri Lanka’s Olympic mission before, as well as when the Games are on. The next phase will be beyond the Tokyo 2020 programme.
Already discussions are in place as to how this MoU could take place to promote the Lankan Olympic hopefuls’ aspirations for the future.
The MoU between the NOC SL and the City of Hashima was signed when a Lankan Olympic team comprising its Secretary General Maxwell de Silva and his Assistant Secretary Chandana Liyanage were in Japan to attend a three-day Chef de Mission Seminar at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo, Japan. Every National Olympic Committee had been invited to take part in the event.
Speaking about the Hashima MoU the NOC SL Secretary General Maxwell de Silva said “Initially the person of Hashima City was very happy about our visit there. The conclusion was that we both would work even after the conclusion of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which will be held next year, the bottom-line being working closely with Hashima City and obtaining assistance from them. They were more than happy coming up with that offer.
“The sport that we are currently looking at is Taekwondo, as the City of Hashima is well equipped to provide assistance in this discipline. Besides, there is a top ranking businessman in the city who is interested in assisting us with this programme. He is a big time supporter of Taekwondo there.”
The NOC SL Secretary General added that during the Games, the city of Hashima would also be happy to host the Sri Lanka athletic team. We will take the Lankan team to the City and we shall host a function when the Games are on. Besides that, another item on the cards, according to de Silva, is a students’ exchange programme benefitting the young Lankan athletes and vice versa.