Sports exchange established

Press, 29 February 1984, Page 8

Sports exchange established

Young sportsmen and sportswomen will benefit from a new exchange scheme being established between the Christchurch Polytechnic and three institutions in Osaka, Japan. Representatives of the Osaka institutions were in Christchurch yesterday to meet representatives of the Polytechnic and sports bodies to discuss details of the sporting and cultural exchange scheme. Initially the scheme will be restricted to Canterbury people, but once it is established it could be extended to include people from outside Christchurch. The exchanges will be

made mainly during the summer vacation of each country and the first group is likely to travel to Osaka in late July for several weeks. Exchange students will have to meet the cost of their air fares, but in Osaka they will stay with Japanese families. Japanese students travelling to New Zealand will be accommodated with Christchurch families. There would be no time limit on the exchange, said Mr John Bonniface, director of recreation at the Polytechnic. It could be for a few weeks or up to a year. The three institutions

which the New Zealanders will have the choice of joining are the Osaka College of Physical Education, the Japan Institute for International Study, which will cater for cultural exchange students, and the Osaka Sports and Physical Education Centre. Seven sports attended a meeting at the Polytechnic yesterday and all were enthusiastic about the scheme, said Mr Bonniface. The sports represented were athletics, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, rugby, and karate. A committee will be established from representa-

tives of those sports, the Polytechnic, and any other sports that may be interested in the exchange. The committee will vet applications for the exchange scheme so that only bona fide members of associations involved in the scheme are selected. The Japanese hope to send a group of about 30 students to Christchurch next summer and slowly increase that number annually, reaching a peak of between 50 and 80 students. The initial group will probably contain swimmers and gymnasts between the ages of 12 and 16. Mr Ryuji Tanaka, the in-

terpreter for the group of Japanese representatives, said the exchanges would allow the Japanese sportsmen and sportswomen to study English and New Zealand’s style of living, in addition to training with, and competing against, their Canterbury counterparts. Canterbury students, who may be of any age or skill level, will be able to choose the institution they wish to attend. The Osaka College of Physical Education has 1700 students, the J. 1.1.5. 8000 members, and the Osaka Sports and Physical Education Centre 4000 members. It caters for every sport.