On May 20, 2019, the city of Toyooka concluded a partnership agreement with the German Rowing Federation. This meant that the German national team’s activity costs would be supported by a local government in another country in the form of sponsorship. This presented a new kind of host support rarely seen globally. The uniforms, boat, and oars of the men’s sculling team, which perform outstanding plays at the forefront of the world, would feature the KINOSAKI logo of Kinosaki Onsen, a hot spring town in Toyooka.

The Maruyama River, a class A river running through Kinosaki Onsen, boasts a calm flow that stays roughly level in height from its source to its mouth, and the area has become known as a good place for rowing. It hosts national rowing events, including the local Kinosaki Boat Festival & Regatta, and training camps for the Japanese national rowing team.

In 2016, Toyooka began activities to become a Host Town with the aim of vitalizing rowing as a sport within the city. In February 2017, it set up a PR booth at the 2017 FISA Extraordinary Congress held in Tokyo and gave a presentation on the training environment and charms offered by the town. As a result, it received a message from Mario Woldt, the German Rowing Federation’s Sports Director, saying that he wanted to see the Maruyama River himself, and an observation party from the federation arrived the following month.

The observation party were shown the Maruyama River Kinosaki Rowing Course and Kinosaki Onsen’s accommodation areas. Mr. Woldt rated it very highly as a place for holding rowing training camps due to the Maruyama River’s environment, which allows continuous rowing for 10 kilometers in a single direction, and the close proximity of accommodation to the training area. He also liked the atmospheric scenery of the hot spring town, which is one of the finest in Japan with a history going back 1,300 years, and decided to make Toyooka the Host Town for a training camp.

Toyooka’s efforts to become a Host Town continued to bear fruit and in September 2018, the German Rowing Federation approached the mayor of Toyooka about forming a partnership agreement. The partnership agreement involved Toyooka supporting the German rowers by sponsoring team activities for two years, which in turn would lead to publicity for the city. Toyooka wanted to use the relationships it had forged because of the Games to let the world know about its cherished Kinosaki Onsen town. Based on this, the city consented, and an international partnership agreement was concluded.

Mr. Shingo Shimada, who is responsible for the pre-games training camp, spoke about his predecessor Tatsunori Yuuki, who had been a big presence as the person responsible for Host Town efforts from 2016. “Mr. Yuuki worked hard to create an environment where athletes can concentrate on their training. Take the food at the pre-games training camp for example. Initially we were going to use German-style bread that was already available in Japan, but when he tasted it, he found it was not suitable as the flavor had been changed to suit Japanese tastes. Therefore, he asked the hotel staff to make bread that was more suited to German tastes and finally, he got Mr. Woldt and other members of the observation party to taste it during their visit. That is because bread to Germans is similar to what rice is for Japanese.”

When Mr. Yuuki was 12 years old, the spring he entered Kinosaki Junior High School, he joined the school rowing club due to the influence of his older brother and went on to win many championship flags as both a rower and coach. He used these personal experiences and knowledge and gave his best to create an environment suitable for attracting and then receiving teams to host, until he passed away suddenly due to illness in spring 2020. Even after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had been optimistic, saying, “The excitement has just been delayed a year,” and he was active as a figurehead until the end by communicating through social media, cleaning the rowing course, and carrying out other activities.

Mr. Shimada says, “In order to make sure all of Mr. Yuuki’s efforts do not go to waste, we will use what we have at hand to ensure that the pre-games training camp can be carried out safely. The impact of the pandemic has led to restrictions and a situation different to what was previously planned, and I think a big challenge will be how to adjust things in a way that enables smooth communication between all parties involved. While there is still a lot up in the air, I am working with the belief that the Games will go ahead. Toyooka will go all out doing what we can to prepare.”

Directly after the sponsorship agreement was concluded, the European Rowing Championships were held in Switzerland. The German rowing team won a total of seven gold, silver, and bronze medals at the championships, taking first place as the European country with the highest total medal count. They gained this honor with the word KINOSAKI printed across their chests.

Mr. Shimada says, “I was really moved when I saw the rowers competing wearing the ‘KINOSAKI’ logo.” Seeing the results of the preparations and efforts to date, he is looking forward to sending the German team to the Games and anticipating the day he can see them rowing with his own eyes.