The Athlete Island Academy (AIA), a sports school for children, opened in the Mekaru district of Naha City on May 8th. The owner of the school is Shouzou Fukunaga who is a former professional rugby player. The adviser for the school is Tadahiro Nomura, the judo gold medalist in three consecutive Olympics.

The concept of the school is improving the sports skills of young athletes utilizing a wide human network of top athletes The school also aims to establish a “Super Training Center,” where highly talented child athletes from not only Japan but also all Asia can come for training.

Because the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese government is devoting resources to support the sports industry. In the beginning, AIA aims to attract small kids from pre-school through primary school age, and to provide them with lessons like rhythm and training of basic body physique. However, Fukunaga and Nomura say they have set themselves a goal for the company to become like the IMG Academy in the U.S.

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