A special football “world cup” and music charity event for children of any nationality living in Japan will be held in Sendai this month.
Bokura-no-World Cup (BWC) will be held at Sendai Ikuei Gakuen’s Tagajo Ground on November 3, from 9am–4pm. Registration and entrance is free. The football tournament will feature 24 teams of children under nine years old, and a further 24 teams of children under 12. Teams have been invited from Watari, Iwanuma, Natori, Wakabayashi, Miyagino, Tagajo, Shichigahama, Shiokama, Matsushima, Higashi-matsushima, Ishinomaki, Omegawa, Minami-sanriku, and Kesen-numa.
Local world music bands, cheerleaders, and dancers will be performing from 10am–3:30pm, and Sendai-based idol band, The Splash, as well as a special guest star from Tokyo, will also be performing on stage. Food from around the world will be provided.
500 children and 3000 adults are expected to attend.
This annual charity event for Japanese and non-Japanese children is run by the voluntary organization Bokura-no World Cup Executive Committee — with the aim of establishing and enhancing friendships amongst children of different countries, races, and languages who live in the same region in Japan. Since the first Bokura-no World Cup launched in 2010 in Kusatsu-city, the event has been held in different regions such as Otsu-city in Shiga prefecture in 2011, Ota-city in Gunma prefecture in 2012, and Ashikaga-city in Tochigi prefecture in 2013. Children from Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, the Philippines, Peru, and Paraguay, as well as Japan, have participated.
The winning team, along with a coach and group of parents, will be invited to Taiwan to participate in an exhibition match in March next year. This is a further opportunity for children living in two different countries to enjoy football and develop friendships, as well as participate in a series of events commemorating the Tohoku earthquake of March 11, 2011.
This event is supported by Miyagi-ken, Tagajo-city, Taiwan Interchange Association in Japan, various embassies, Sendai Ikuei Gakuen, Nakano FC, Sega Sammy, and various corporations.
For more information, call 03-3535-4755, email [email protected], or check out the following information online: http://www.bokuranoworldcup.org, https://www.facebook.com/bokuranoworldcup, and https://twitter.com/bwc_japan. — AISUKE MATSUTOYA
