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Sugito Athletes take on Sunsmart Ironman Busselton 70.3

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~Article and photos by City of Busselton~

On Saturday 2 May a team of athletes from Sugito took part in the Sunsmart Ironman 70.3 event held in Busselton. Busselton, a sea side town in the South West of Western Australia, is Sugito’s Sister City. The athlete’s visit to Busselton and participation in the Ironman event was part of the cultural exchange programme which has existed between the two Cities for nearly 20 years.

The athletes were accompanied by Sugito Mayor Matsuo Furuya and his wife Fumiko as well as Takeshi Usami from the Sugito Town Office. The Busselton-Sugito 2014 exchange student group dressed in colourful Happi Coats cheered the visiting athletes on and the City of Busselton Mayor Ian Stubbs also lent his support.

The Sunsmart Ironman event consists of three sporting disciplines. Koichi Takahashi did the ocean swim; Katsumi Watanabe was team cyclist; and Tetsuya Ozawa finished the event with the run. All three athletes completed their disciplines within their anticipated times and were happy with their efforts.

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Given Sugito is a land-locked area, Koichi hadn’t been able to train in the ocean so the 1.9km open water swim was particularity challenging despite the perfect conditions on the day. Katsumi completed the 90kms bike ride smiling, having only ever ridden a maximum of 40km prior to the race. Tetsuya, an experienced marathon runner, finished in excellent time and crossed the line hand-in-hand with Mayor Furuya.

All athletes had an amazing event experience and thoroughly enjoyed their first visit to Busselton. Now back in Sugito, they are keen to spread the word on this fantastic event.

Hideki Sakamoto, Head of Information and Culture, Consulate-General of Japan and Taku Korogi, Sport Science Department, University of WA also joined members of the Busselton Sugito Sister City Association in supporting the visiting group. Before the event the Sugito triathletes met with the Busselton Triathlon Club who assisted with the registration process and helped the athletes familiarise themselves with the course.

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While in Busselton the group visited local wineries, enjoyed a visit to the Shearing Shed, and played Golf at the Dunsborough Golf club. Takeshi even enjoyed some time surfing!

Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q94SNDzpQSs for event highlights.

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  • 2023/2024 CLAIR Forum 

    Theme: Disaster Management and Resilience

    Disaster Management is essential for local governments as it helps save lives, protect properties, build resilience, and ensure the overall well-being and stability of communities in the face of disasters such as natural disasters and epidemic outbreaks. And it has become more important than ever in recent years. In the 2024 CLAIR Forum, presented by CLAIR Sydney and UTS, we  explored the practices of prevention, response, and recovery to disasters in local governments in Australia and Japan. We also reflected on new ways of thinking about and building resilient communities, built and natural environments, economies and governments. 

    Date:  11 March,2024 (Monday)
    Time: 1:00pm to 5:00pm 
    Venue: The Japan Foundation, Sydney – Seminar Room （Hybrid）

    Speakers

    – Tomoyuki Takemura (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)

    Provided an overview of recent disaster occurrences in Japan such as the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the role of administrative organisations (national, prefectural, and municipal) during disasters, and the updated information on the status of the support system established by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

    – Reiko Kunisaki (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Fukuoka Prefectural Government)

    Described the recent heavy rain disasters in Fukuoka, efforts in supporting evacuees requiring assistance (including training on municipal guidance, operation of evacuation centres, and creation of individual evacuation plans) in collaboration with local governments and partners.

    – Kana Tsujiwaki (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Wakayama Prefectural Government)

    Touched upon the anecdote of Goryo Hamaguchi, a native of Wakayama, which led to the establishment of “World Tsunami Day.” Also explained distinctive disaster countermeasures in Wakayama, such as setting safety levels for evacuation destinations, the “Dokodemo Stand” mobile gas station, and mobile disaster prevention education.

    – Nicole Parsons (Manager Regional Resilience Programs, Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation)

    The presentation highlighted collaborative efforts with local governments and partners in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region to reduce disaster risks, including enhancing infrastructure resilience, improving access to geographic data, and developing environmental monitoring and early warning systems.

    – Shinnosuke Matsumoto (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Ichihara city council)

    Discussed disaster response in his city, the response system during disasters, types and conditions for opening evacuation centres, and examples of efforts in adapting to changes in operating the centres during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    – Hideaki Ota(Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Odawara city council)

    Provided an overview of medical services during disasters in Japan, focusing on the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), including the outline, process, and roles of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and disaster base hospitals. Presented examples, including Odawara City Hospital’s dispatch of DMAT to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

    – Tommaso Briscese (General Manager, Burwood Council) & Miriam Wassef（Executive Manager, Place Management and Communications Burwood Council）

    Presented Burwood Council’s response to and recovery efforts for COVID-19, including care for the community, financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises for economic recovery, and events to promote human interaction that were reduced following the outbreak.

     

    The Q&A session allowed for exchanges of many questions and opinions among participants. Carol Mills concluded the forum, reflecting on the discussions.

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  • From the 3rd to the 13th of December, eight selected swimmers from the Fukuoka Swimming Association visited NSW, where they participated in joint training sessions with a local school and competed in the 2024-25 Speedo NSW Senior State Age Championships.

    During the joint training, the athletes deepened their connections, and in the competition, the Fukuoka swimmers achieved remarkable success, earning numerous medals.
     
    The visit is based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2023 between the Fukuoka Prefecture, the Fukuoka Swimming Association, and Swimming NSW. CLAIR Sydney received a request from Fukuoka Prefecture to assist them with their activities and accompanied them during some parts of their visit.
     
    We will continue to support and deepen exchanges in the field of sports between Fukuoka Prefecture and NSW.
    To all the athletes, coaches, and accompanying staffs, Otsukaresamadeshita!
     
     
     
     
     
     

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