NEWS

FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Monday joined the President of the JFA and other dignitaries for the opening ceremony of the new JFA Medical Center at the J. Village in Fukushima Prefecture.

Blatter called it “a great and historical day” and was assisted in the tape-cutting ceremony by JFA President Motoaki Inukai, JFA Vice President and FIFA Executive Committee member Junji Ogura, Fukushima Prefecture Governor Yuhei Sato, Naraha Town Mayor Takashi Kusano, Fukushima Prefectural Assembly Chairman Noriyasu Sato and Yukiei Matsumoto, Chairman of Naraha Town Assembly.
The $4 million medical center, the first of its kind in the world, was established with the help of an $800,000 contribution from the FIFA Goal program. Other costs were borne in part by the JFA and Fukushima Prefecture.
The center has three doctors, three nurses, as well as radiology, physiotherapy and administration staff.
It also houses a Hitachi OASIS, one of the most advanced MRI machines in the world and the only one of its kind in Japan.
“Since the J. Village opened in 1997, we agreed to establish a medical facility at this national training center,” JFA President Inukai said at the opening ceremony. “Our dream has been fulfilled thanks to FIFA and the Goal program. This is the first medical facility built under the FIFA Goal program”
Inukai thanked Fukushima Prefecture and Naraha Town for their support in creating the facility. He also noted that the medical center will focus not only on medical treatment for injuries, but also examinations, medicine, education, anti-doping, research and other related areas.
In addition to the MRI system, the medical center has a range of diagnostic equipment capable of aiding full medical checks on players up to the national team level.
The facility is open daily and available to all-comers. It also accepts Japanese national health insurance.
Fukushima Governor Sato congratulated the FIFA President on receiving the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor the previous day and thanked all those who helped in establishing the Medical Center.
“The JFA have bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and I hope these bids succeed,” the Governor stated. “I look forward to welcoming not only the Japan national team but national teams from around the world to the J. Village.”
In his speech, JFA President Inukai requested a third Goal project from FIFA to help install IT and communications infrastructure in the Medical Center that will link it the global FIFA family.
Blatter replied: “I think it would be easier for FIFA to offer you a third Goal project...”
This comment earned applause, to which Blatter added with a smile: “I haven't said it was done; I said it was easier to offer this than what the Governor has asked, which means to have the World Cup in 2018 and 2022.”
In a more serious vein, the FIFA boss said he would do his “utmost” to help Japan achieve its third Goal project.