MSM part of sports trade mission to Tokyo 2020

Maastricht School of Management recently accompanied the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports, Ms. Edith Schippers, and thirty prominent Dutch companies on a sports trade mission to Japan. In the context of the 2020 Olympics the aim of this trade delegation was to develop common activities on sports-research innovation and education to support a sustainable development of the Japanese society. An assignment according MSM’s vision on ourExecutive MBA in Sports Management: “Sport can change the world” .

trade-mission-japan-2 In particular, MSM forged links with the Japan Sports Agency, which is a newly established organization responsible to ensure that the Tokyo Olympics can result in the most beneficial outcomes for the country. MSM and the delegation also visited the Japan Sports Institute, responsible for the state-of-the-art training facilities for future Olympic Athletes. MSM also explored with various higher education institutes collaboration in sports management education, and the use of sports data analytics for decision-making, an area where MSM has been making innovative strides.

MSM and in particular its Executive MBA in Sports Management was much appreciated in Japan. Mr. Kozo Yamamoto, Minister of State for Regional Revitalization, Deregulation indicated that Japan can learn much from this approach towards sports as a business where management and leadership skills are vital.

A number of follow-up initiatives are planned, including invitations to various Japanese Sport and Big Data Analytics organizations and specialists to visit Maastricht specifically and the Netherlands in general, and to show how a small country can be very big in sport.