The life of Jigoro Kano
Jigoro Kano and the Olympics
A host of problems
Japan's first participation in the Olympic Games was in the 1912 Olympiad. This was the 5th Olympiad (modern Olympics), and it was held in Stockholm. Preparing for Japan's participation was a Herculean task with numerous hurdles. The concept of the Olympics had to be conveyed to the public, sports in general had to be promoted, the national team athletes had to trained, and the competition rules had to be determined, etc. All this had to be undertaken from square one.
As a member of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), Jigoro requested assistance from the Ministry of Education, but his request was refused. Jigoro then turned to various schools for help, and together they formed the "Japan Sports Association", Japan's first such organization.