Abstract
Some elite athletes have established non-profit organizations for social contribution since 1990’s in Japan. In reaction to the Great East Japan Earthquake, six non-profit organizations founded by elite athletes made an alliance “Japan Athlete Forum (JAF)” with a goal of reconstructing comprehensive community sport clubs in the three prefectures affected by the quake, I wate, Miyagi and Fukushima. JAF surveyed the current situation of the comprehensive community sport clubs in the affected area and elite athletes’ intention to support the reconstruction of the earthquake-affected area. The result showed that 44.3% of these clubs did not have readiness to hold the athlete event, on the other hand, 82.9% of athletes had intention to attend the event. On receiving the results of this survey, JAF organized a committee appointed by local people to support these clubs. JAF has delivered sport programs named “Warm up Japan (WUJ)” to over 2,500 children living in the three prefectures to encourage them from August in 2011 to January in 2012. Over 30 elite athletes gathered from all over Japan took part in WUJ and gave sport lessons to children. The junior high school participants (n=126) of these programs in Iwate prefecture showed a significant improvement in their motivation for physical activity after programs. However there are still numbers of challenges for the continuation of WUJ.
