The former head coach of the Japan national football team, Mr Okada Takeshi, (first from left) with Lao disabled persons.

Inclusive Football to make Chao Anouvong Stadium a ‘Stadium for All’

The Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES), in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), advanced social inclusion through sports by organising an inclusive football event at the Lao-Japan Budo Center on December 23.
Hosted by the Lao ministry in cooperation with JICA, the event was held as part of JICA’s grant aid project for reconstructing the Chao Anouvong Stadium.
To achieve the goal of a “Stadium for All”, the project’s aims include an upgrade to facilities, and improved accessibility and social participation, particularly for people with disabilities.

An inclusive football event.

Participants warmly welcomed the owner of the Japanese football club Imabari and a former head coach of Japan’s national football team, Mr Okada Takeshi, who guided the Samurai Blue to the Round of 16 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.  
Mr Okada shared his experiences in building a diverse and inclusive society based on the concept of Asics Satoyama Stadium in Imabari city of Ehime prefecture, Japan, which aims to foster a strong sense of community by encouraging local involvement and city revitalisation.
Fourteen officials of the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports visited this stadium while being trained in Japan in the field of stadium operation and maintenance in June this year.
The Chief Representative of the JICA Laos Office, Ms Kobayashi Miyako, welcomed the event as another project milestone  amid shared efforts by the two sides to advance the joint commitment to social inclusion through sports in Laos.
“Inclusion goes beyond accessible facilities, but it is also about creating opportunities and a society where everyone can participate, highlighting the importance of practical experiences that bring people with and without disabilities together,” Ms Kobayashi said.
The event brought together para-athletes and officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports to experience how inclusive football can serve as a means of social connection.
The event was made possible through the support of Japan’s non-government organisation Asian Development with the Disabled Persons (ADDP), which has been supporting Lao parasports and inclusive business through the successful examples of “Minna no Café” in Laos.
This event is being seen as a significant step forward in putting the inclusive stadium concept into practice as part of the planned completion of the project in October 2026.

By Advertorial Desk
(Latest Update December 24, 2025)