JAPAN'S SPORTING REVOLUTION

If I could take one moment into my hands Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man, And I believe in a promised land. - Promised Land (1978) 

Sport is a very big part of Japanese culture. If you are watching a film based in the Asian country then you will most likely witness a sumo wrestling match going on in the background or some martial arts being practised but Japan are becoming more than just big men wrestling and ninja like moves - with the announcement that Tokyo will be the 2020 Olympics' host city and with the rugby World Cup making themselves at home in the country only a year before it looks as though Japan is making a big mark on the sporting world.
Japan have only hosted the summer Olympics once before and that was all the way back in 1964 and with stiff competition in Istanbul and Madrid, Tokyo were seen as outsiders throughout the bidding war but branding themselves as the safe bet and stating that 'the olympics will be safe in our [Tokyo] hands' seemed to do the trick with the IOC announcing the country's victory last week.

The country will also play host to another big sporting event only a year before the Olympics arrive with the rugby world making their way to the land of the rising sun to watch the 2019 World Cup. After only playing their first international rugby match back in 1932 the side have not had enormous success and finishing last in their pool in the 2011 RWC and only achieving one win, against Zimbabwe in 1991, since the RWC began emphasises this. However, this summer they managed a win against World Cup semi-finalists and multiple Six Nations winners, Wales. Yes, most of the championship winning squad were in Australia with the Lions and yes the team were majorly inexperienced but a win is a win and it was a convincing win with the Welsh loosing 23-8.

It's very fitting that Japan have been awarded these prestigious competitions at a time when the country is experiencing great sporting success. In last year's London Olympics the team finished in a very respectable 11th place with a total of 38 medals with seven of them Gold. The country have also experienced some success in the footballing world with the men finishing in 9th position in the 2010 World Cup and the women going all the way and lifting the 2011 German World Cup trophy.

Sporting stars from across the globe have made their way to the East Asian Island to get in on the action. Rugby legend Shane Williams and All Black star player Sonny Bill Williams have both spent time playing in the Top League. S.Williams signed a one year contract back in June 2012 for the Sagamihara based Mitsubishi Dynaboars and Bill Williams played 7 matches for the Top League's Panasonic before returning to his homeland of New Zealand and to rugby league for the 2013 NRL season. With world renowned sporting stars taking their careers to Japan, it has not only brought attention to the sport in the country but also to the developing quality and increasing standard of said sport. 

Japan has undoubtably got a long way to go in terms of becoming one of the world's heavyweight sporting countries but with the increasing popularity of sports such as baseball, boxing, rugby and football along with the fact that two of the world's biggest competitions will be making their way to its shores soon, the country is definitely on its way to sporting glory. Also, with the emphatic wave of excitement that crashed over Japan when the IOC announcement was heard it looks as though the people of Japan are very ready for the sporting revolution to pick up pace and momentum and support from the people of Japan is more important than anything else.