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Toyota said it has entered into a national partnership agreement with Special Olympics Nippon (SON) that includes sponsorship of SON activities in Japan.
To support the Special Olympics 2016 in Niigata Prefecture, Toyota employees, according to a statement, will be dispatched to related events as volunteers, and promotional campaigns will be conducted at nearby dealerships.
Describing the reason for the company’s involvement, Toyota President , Akio Toyoda, said: “Events like the Special Olympics show us the true power and beauty of sport. Sport unites us by giving us a shared passion; it breaks down barriers, fostering mutual respect and understanding. We at Toyota will start by doing what we can, through sport, to bring us closer to a world where everyone is given the opportunities and respect they deserve.”
The Special Olympics is an international athletics organisation which is dedicated to providing a variety of training opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Nippon engages in a wide range of activities, including holding events and competitions across Japan and promoting the development of coaches and volunteers. The domestic event taking place in Japan this year will be held in Niigata Prefecture from February 12 through 14, and hosted by the cities of Niigata and Minami-Uonuma.
Speaking about the agreement with Toyota, SON President and CEO Yuko Arimori, said: “Toyota is a company that believes in the power of sport and supports a variety of sporting activities both within and outside the company. Therefore, I am delighted that we are entering this partnership, which will surely contribute to the further development of the Special Olympics movement.”
She also spoke highly of the newly introduced Unified Sports programme, which consists of integrated teams partially comprised of athletes with intellectual disabilities: “On the twentieth anniversary of its founding in 2014, Special Olympics Nippon began a new chapter in its history by introducing the Unified Sports program with the aim of promoting social inclusion and mutual respect through sport.”
President Toyoda expressed the same desire, saying: “We at Toyota share SON’s commitment to fostering a society that values diversity.”
This goal is not only applicable to Japan: in the United States last year, Toyota sponsored the Special Olympics World Gamesin Los Angeles. Building on this foundation, Toyota said that it hopes to support Special Olympics activities on a more global scale in the future.
