“Making Fujiyoshida the ‘Sacred Land of Rugby’ ~How to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Pre-Tournament Training a Success”【RWC2019 Prelimary Team Camp Agreement】（Part ①）

Fujiyoshida City has implemented countless exchange programs with France as its designated Olympic Host Town during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Here we introduce one such program and our work with the French National Team leading up to the Rugby World Cup 2019™ in Japan.

On March 12, 2018 Fujiyoshida City signed its preliminary agreement with the French Rugby Federation establishing it as the Preliminary Team Camp for the French National Team leading up to the Rugby World Cup 2019™. The following year on February 3, 2019, an official contract was signed between Fujiyoshida City, neighboring Kawaguchiko Town, Yamanashi Prefecture and the French Rugby Federation.

The road to the 2019 Rugby World Cup™ in Japan was full of obstacles and challenges that could not have been tackled without the support of countless individuals and organizations.

■　What exactly is a “Preliminary Team Camp”?
The term “Preliminary Team Camp” refers to the region where a team stays and trains leading up to a tournament. This designation is not assigned, but is rather established via an agreement made directly between a local government and a team. See more about the difference between a “Preliminary Team Camp” and “Official Team Camp” here.

Fujiyoshida City, Kawaguchiko Town and Yamanashi Prefecture began its collaborative effort to bring this project to life after receiving a formal request by the Yamanashi Prefecture Rugby Football Union to pursue a Team Camp designation in January of 2018.

A planning and coordination committee was established and a conference was held in Fujiyoshida City later that year in October to discuss the adoption of a formal contract, and by December discussions were held with representatives of the French Rugby Federation who visited the city to conduct a preliminary inspection of the facilities in the region and had expressed their positive impressions of the region and facilities.

【October 9, 2018: Preliminary Inspection and Discussion with the French Rugby Federation】

The preliminary inspection allowed government officials to talk face-to-face with the representatives from the French Rugby Federation and work out the details

Center Left: Mr. Bernard Vivies (Director of Men’s XV)
Center Right: Mr. Lionel Rossigneux (Team Manager Men’s XV) & Shigeru Horiuchi (Mayor of Fujiyoshida City)

The following year on February 3, 2019, the Vice Mayor of Fujiyoshida City visited the French Rugby Federation headquarters in Marcoussis to meet with federation president Bernard Laporte and then head coach of the national team competing in the Rugby World Cup 2019, Jacque Brunel, to sign the official contract.

During the Vice Mayor’s visit, President Laporte expressed his gratitude for our efforts in coordinating the Preliminary Team Camp and cited his staff’s positive reports of the hospitality they received and of the region’s strengths as a training site. With his words as encouragement, we were able to move on to the exhaustive task of preparing a flawless training experience for the French National Team.

【February 3, 2019: Visiting the training facilities at the French Rugby Federation headquarters】

By visiting the team’s training facility in Marcoussis, we were better able to envision how to prepare for the team.

【February 3, 2019: Official signing of the Preliminary Team Camp contract】

Center Left: Bernard Laporte (President of the French Rugby Federation)
Center Right: Shigeo Maeda (Vice Mayor of Fujiyoshida City)

■Preliminary Team Camp (Outline)
Duration: September 7th 2019 (Sa) ~ September 12th 2019 (Th)
Training Facilities: Fuji Hokuroku Park Athletic Field and weight training gym
Accommodations: Highland Resort and Spa

【February 3, 2019: Group photo following the official signing of the contract】

From center left: Bernard Laporte (President of the French Rugby Federation), Jacque Brunel (Men’s XV head coach), Yuichi Ueno (Fujiyoshida Legacy Advisor)

The Rugby World Cup 2023™ will be held in France. Here in Fujiyoshida we will continue to cheer for “Les Bleus” and look forward to working hand-in-hand with the federation to make the Olympic Host Town program an equal success.

Continued on “Making Fujiyoshida the “Sacred Land of Rugby” ~How to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Pre-Tournament Training a Success~ (Part ②)”　

Fujiyoshida City Hall / City Planning Department
International Sports Competition Training Camp Invitation Promotion Office
TEL: 0555-22-1353
Email:s_camp@city.fujiyoshida.lg.jp
(Japanese Inquiries only)