Japan launches sports agency to boost athletic performance

Suddenly, a 1978 No. 1 gold record single sung by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams is playing in my head...

now gee they should have done this the day they won the Olympics, 5 years isnt really that long to find and train Olympic medal athletes.

"and also encourage more people to play sports"

Yeah right. The authorities where I live are doing the opposite. In the last couple of years, I've seen a swimming pool, gateball pitch and soccer pitch obliterated to build more shopping facilities. The Tokyo metro tennis court reservation system has imposed stringent cancelllation rules that void your registration if yo fail to give at least 4 days notice for cancelling a booking. Ridiculous.

Individuals who want to play sports in Japan are treated extremely shabbily. Only the elite or big organizations get the respect.