By Emily Goddard

JSC Symposium 2July 13 - Ian Henry, Loughborough University's director of the centre for Olympic studies, has hailed Japan's sporting integrity initiatives as a strong element of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic bid campaign.

Speaking at an international symposium for the Olympic Movement in Japan, Henry (pictured top) welcomed the nation's pioneering efforts in a move to promote sport integrity.

"Sporting integrity is perhaps the critical issue of the next decade, and I think Tokyo and Japan broadly has rightly identified this not just part of their Olympic bidding campaign but as an area for national action," he said.

"I think Japan is the only nation to make Olympic education part of the compulsory curriculum nationally, and if Tokyo can align its bid with the commitment to address the integrity issue, I think it can develop a role in ethical leadership."

JSC Symposium 1The Universal Value of Olympism and Development Through Sport symposium was organised by the Japan Sport Council and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Henry also touched on Olympism and its relevance today, the London 2012 Games and its clever communications strategy surrounding "inspiration", and sports for international development at the event, called Universal Value of Olympism and Development Through Sport, organised by the Japan Sport Council (JSC) and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

An athlete speaker session followed which featured double Olympic fencing silver medallist Yuki Ota and judoka Yoko Tanabe, who won silver medals at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, before a panel discussion with Henry, JSC President Ichiro Kono and notable Olympic journalists, Wakako Yuki and Manabu Matsuse, concluded the day.

Tokyo is currently in a bidding race with Istanbul and Madrid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The winning city is due to be named at the 125th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Buenos Aires on September 7 this year.

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