NEW DELHI: Japanese etiquette is deeply embedded in the country’s culture. The sports ministry in collaboration with Indian Olympic Association have made efforts to impart lessons on Japanese etiquette and culture during the Japanese Cultural Sensitivity Workshop here on Thursday.According to the Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, this would help all Tokyo-bound athletes adjust to life in Japan without difficulty and would, in turn, keep their mind free of worries.

“Every country has its own culture and set of rules. Japan is steeped in traditional values and it is our job to respect that. The main job for the athletes is to train and make the country proud and we have to ensure that they do not have to worry about other things,” the minister said.

The minister also said that the ministry and the  IOA would support the athletes in all possible ways and the athletes’ only objective should be to perform. He also said since Japanese etiquette is considered sacred in Japan, the ministry and the IOA are helping the athletes in learning it. 

The event was hosted by Hisashi Sanada, Chairman, Tsukuba International Academy for Sports Studies and Izumi Egami, a lecturer and a former air-hostess. The workshop titled ‘Omotenashi’  was attended by sportspersons from wrestling, boxing, shooting as well as Para sports. Bajrang Punia, Manu Bhaker and Nikhat Zareen were just a few of the players who attended the programme.

IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta and SAI DG Sandip Pradhan too were in attendance. Quite a few athletes who have booked their tickets for the upcoming Olympics were even seen taking notes like ace shooter Sanjeev Rajput. During the interactive and engaging workshop, athletes, as well as the Sports Minister, were even taught how to wear a Kimono, a Japanese traditional dress for both men and women.

“We had a lot of fun during that session. We got to know a lot about their country but the dress was quite heavy!” pugilist Nikhat Zareen joked after the session.“Hum jab jayenge, bahut kaam ayega yeh information (All this information will come in very handy once we reach there),” opined Greco Roman coach Hargobind Singh.

With language being a major barrier, common phrases like ‘good morning’, ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’ and a few others were taught to the athletes. They had to repeat those words a couple of times to get the hang of them. Judging by the laughter and smiles emanating from the hall, it seemed like they enjoyed the experience.

“With the help of this workshop, athletes will be better prepared when they enter the Tokyo Games village. We now know that they value their cultural etiquettes at a much higher level and it’s beautiful to see that,” shooter Abhishek Verma said.