CHAPTER4 IMPROVING INTERNATIONA LCOMPETITIVENESS AND PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL SPORTS EXCHANGE
SECTION1: CURRENT STATE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS OF JAPAN
Competitive sports,through which both athletes and non-athletes can enjoy the wonder of not only competing but also watching sports,contribute greatly to the dissemination and development of sports in Japan and to the formation of an active and healtby society.In promoting competitive sports,it is essential to work toward the goal of improvement of competitiveness.However,in recent years,while the standard of competition of countries around the globe has been improving,Japanese athletes have had great difficulty achieving strong results in international competitions.One example that demonstrates this is the number of medals won by Japan in the Summer Olympics.At the1964Tokyo Olympics,Japan won29medals,including16golds,a figure that more or less remained consistent in several following Olympic Games.However the number of medals won at the24th Seoul Olympics decreased.At the Atlanta Olympics,in spite of the fact that the number of events and the number of Japanese athletes participating were higher than ever before,Japan won only14medals.
More recently,Japan won ten medals,including five golds,at the Nagano OlympicWinter Games,the best results for Japan in thehistory of Olympic Winter Games,and the Japanese soccer team made its debut appearance inthe FIFA1998World Cup Finals in France.However,on the whole,a low level of competitiveness has been evident for a long period( seeFigure4-1 ).
Figure4-1:Medals Won in Olympic Competition(1)Ratio of Medals Won in Summer Olympic Games by Country
(2)Ratio of Medals Won in Winter Olympic Games by Country
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