On November 8, VIVASEDA, a student-led group to promote the Olympics and Paralympics, participated in Waseda Festival 2020 – an online event. VIVASEDA introduced information related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games from the three perspectives of facilities, athletes, and equipment. The following are reports from each project that the VIVASEDA members created.
A look behind the scenes at Olympic facilities!
This project was a student-led look behind the scenes at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. All interviewing, filming, and editing were performed by the students themselves. This year’s Waseda Festival was unusual because it was held online and was mostly run by people who had never met each other before. Since so many met for the first time on the day of the project, special attention was paid to building trust between the members.
Lessons from athletes!
This project saw students meet members of the South Sudanese athletic team who are holding a pre-camp in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture. The athletes were asked about the differences between Japan and South Sudan and their hopes for the Olympics. The videos of these interviews were edited before being broadcast on the day of the Waseda Festival. Athletes from the Waseda University swimming team also came to the room where the video was being broadcast. The athletes were interviewed on-air and asked a variety of questions.
Learn about athletic gear!
This project involved an interview with current para-athlete and para-alpine skier Momoka Muraoka, Yoshihiro Kubota, an associate professor at Toyo University who is involved in the development of Japanese canoes, and members of Waseda University’s equestrian club. The video of this interview was then broadcast on the day of the festival. Members from Waseda University’s fencing club also came to campus on the day of the broadcast, providing in-depth details about equipment such as their swords and protective gear. A section introducing equipment used in boccia, a Paralympic sport, was also created.
VIVASEDA will continue to perform a variety of activities in the lead up to the Tokyo 2020 Games. Stay tuned for more information on their activities!
