Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo attended the “3^rd Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on Sports” held virtually on Thursday, December 24, and discussed further sports-related exchanges and cooperation with Minister Koichi Hagiuda of Japan’s Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry and Minister Gou Zhongwen of China’s General Administration of Sport.

The Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on Sports was initially launched in PyeongChang, Korea, in 2016 to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation in sports, especially for the successive hosting of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Tokyo hosted the 2^nd meeting in 2018. The 3^rd meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Beijing this year but was switched to a video conference due to the current COVID-19 outbreak.

Korea, Japan and China pledge to overcome COVID-19 in the field of sports

At the meeting, the three countries recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought serious challenges to the development of sports and international sports exchanges across the globe and agreed that their solidarity and cooperation would be vital for overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. Against this backdrop, the three governments will encourage diverse exchanges among their sports organizations and experts, as well as inter-governmental cooperation to share experiences and collectively promote sports development. 

Minister Park Yang-woo explained Korea’s efforts to resume athletic competitions under strict compliance with epidemic prevention and control measures. He also introduced policy cases to help the general public to continue sports activities as well as to revitalize the sluggish sports industry, including promoting an “exercise-at-home” campaign, producing and distributing online educational content on sports, fostering contact-free training systems and expanding the supply of sports-related loans. Moreover, the ministers agreed that their three nations would cooperate further to find a proper direction for relevant policies in the post-COVID-19 era.  

Expanding Olympic Cooperation for Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Gangwon Youth Games 2024

Korea, Japan and China pledged their commitment to cooperate for the success of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games and 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Minister Park expressed his hope that these consecutive Olympic Games in Northeast Asia would fill the continent with friendship and cooperation, just as the world witnessed peace on the Korean Peninsula during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. He also unveiled his commitment to cooperation to ensure that the Tokyo 2020 Games and the Beijing 2022 Games will be held as safe Olympics in compliance with epidemic prevention and control measures.

For the successful hosting of the next Olympic Games, all sides agreed to share relevant knowledge and technology, promote events and the exchange of youth culture, cooperate in Olympic education and heritage, and strengthen and encourage exchanges and cooperation among the host cities and sports associations.

In addition, Minister Park presented a preparatory plan for the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, which the 135^th IOC Session confirmed in January this year that Korea would host. He called for considerable support and cooperation from China and Japan to ensure the success of the Games.

Strengthening exchanges in each sector, including youth, sports for all, sports industry and anti-doping

Furthermore, the three sides praised past exchanges achieved under the framework of the PyeongChang Declaration and Tokyo Action Plan adopted at the 1^st and 2^nd Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on Sports. They decided to strengthen cooperation related to youth, sports for all, the sports industry, anti-doping and various other fields.

In particular, all sides will promote winter sports youth exchange programs among the three nations as well as encourage athletes to participate in international games and joint training programs. They will also maintain exchanges among the three nations’ sports clubs. In conjunction with this, the three sides will draw on their consecutive hosting of Olympic Games while promoting sports tourism and will encourage exchanges of personnel and information sharing among the three National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADO), as all are members of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

’Beijing Joint Statement’ adopted at 3^rd Meeting, Korea to host 4^th Meeting

At the 3^rd meeting, the three sides agreed to adopt and continue implementing the “Beijing Joint Statement,” which covers recommended responses to COVID-19, cooperation in the Olympic Games and the promotion of sports exchanges. Meanwhile, the 4^th Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on Sports is scheduled to be held in 2022 in Korea.

Minister Park said, “As long as the three nations of Korea, Japan and China stick to our unwavering system of cooperation in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, we will be able to overcome the mounting challenges ahead of our sports industry at this time.“ He also added, “I sincerely believe that the ’Beijing Joint Statement‘ adopted at today’s meeting enhances our ties of trust and friendship and serves as another steppingstone for the future of the sports industry among our three nations.“