An event offering the chance to experience Olympic sports was held at the Tokyo International Forum in Marunouchi, Tokyo, on Wednesday, exactly one year before the opening of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Visitors could take part in 17 Olympic disciplines at booths throughout the venue, including basketball, judo and badminton.
Attendees included International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, an Olympic gold medalist in the fencing team competition. He competed with a 13-year-old boy in a "smart fencing" match, in which competitors use soft swords.
"It was fun. President Bach encouraged me, saying, 'Work hard and become an Olympian,'" said the first-year junior high school student with a smile.
At the baseball and softball booth set up by The Yomiuri Shimbun, photographs from past Games were exhibited and children got the chance to throw a ball at a target in a game of "strike out."
"It was frustrating because I couldn't hit the target, but baseball seems fun," said a third-grade elementary school student from Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
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