The relationship between the aims and objectives of Olympic and Paralympic education and the objectives of the Basic Act on Education, Hideyuki AOYAGI, Junko TAHARA, 第22号, 1, 27, 01 Mar. 2022, In conjunction with the hosting of the Tokyo 2020 Games, Olympic and Paralympic education has been promoted and implemented at schools in Tokyo and throughout Japan under the leadership of multiple organizations. By examining the background for this research and previous studies, the current study has presented four issues that need to be addressed in order to provide more substantive Olympic and Paralympic education after the Tokyo 2020 Games. In order to resolve these issues, this study sought to determine the relationship between the aims and objectives of Olympic and Paralympic education and the objectives of education stipulated in the Basic Act on Education, which is the backbone of conventional schooling in Japan.
Literature and materials from the IOC, the IPC, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, the Sports Agency, and the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games were reviewed, and the aims and objectives of Olympic and Paralympic education and the objectives of education stipulated in the Basic Act on Education were compared. Results indicated that both Olympic and Paralympic education and the Basic Act on Education have common elements in terms of developing the qualities and abilities of children. An examination of the relationship between the two that focused on those elements revealed that Olympic and Paralympic education and Japanese school education (the Basic Act on Education) are similar but with unique elements.
In specific terms, the elements related to children’s qualities and abilities that Olympic and Paralympic education seeks to foster are similar to the elements specified in all of the provisions on the objectives of education in the Basic Act of Education. The elements unique to Olympic and Paralympic education are excellence, courage, determination, confidence, and understanding and interest in sport and the Olympics and Paralympics. In contrast, the unique elements of Japanese education are the values of respect for labor and for responsibility. Moreover, the two educational approaches are compatible, and there were no incongruities between the two.
In summary, this study has logically elucidated the relationship between Olympic and Paralympic education and Japanese schooling in terms of aims and objectives, which is a topic that has not been clarified in the past.