More and more Asian companies are settling in Düsseldorf - and enrich the city of sport on the Rhine with their passion for Asian sports and their sponsorship of local teams such as Fortuna. The symbiosis of business and sport promotes team spirit, motivation and corporate social responsibility.

Japanese football talent: Ao Tanaka from Kawasaki has been playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf since 2021.

Düsseldorf is an attractive business location for Asian companies. Of the nearly 650 Japanese companies currently based in NRW, 410 are located in Düsseldorf, including names such as Mazak (machine tool group), Toshiba (digital technologies and electronics), Wacom (graphics tablet manufacturer) and Kikkoman (food group known for its soy sauces). Chinese tech companies such as Vivotech (smartphone manufacturer), ZTE (telecommunications systems) and Huawei (information technology) have their German and even European headquarters here. Around 40 Indian global players such as Tata Consultancy Services (IT services), Infosys (digital services), Wipro (IT consulting) and Tech Mahindra (IT and communications companies) are also based in Düsseldorf. Sport is part of Asian culture as a contribution to mental and physical health. It promotes team spirit, personal responsibility and motivation and is on the corporate social responsibility agenda of many companies. In the spirit of intercultural exchange, companies offer their employees a range of sporting activities, support local clubs and import the passion for traditional Asian sports to Düsseldorf.

KONNICHIWA, FORTUNA!

Many of the 8,500 Japanese living in Düsseldorf are keen football fans. Fortuna Düsseldorf even has a Japan Desk with a Japanese fan club and a Japanese website - unique in the Bundesliga. Since 2008, Fortuna's former "Japan representative", Gengo Seta, has used his excellent network within the Japanese community to attract Japanese sponsors such as Toyo Tyres and Hitachi. The Japan Desk also looks after Japanese players such as the former Takashi Usami and the current Ao Tanaka and Takashi Uchino. In addition, the current members of the Japan Desk, Hayato Yakumaru and Taiki Hirooka, organise numerous corporate social responsibility activities in the Japanese community, such as "Interesting facts about Fortuna Düsseldorf" at the Japanese school or stadium tours for employees of Japanese companies. The Japanese love of football extends beyond Fortuna fans: in addition to top Japanese players at the professional club, there are even two Japanese amateur football teams in Düsseldorf: the "Reds" and "FC Gatz". The Japanese Club Düsseldorf e.V. also offers its predominantly Japanese members a range of sporting activities - from Tai Chi to the Japanese martial art of Kendo, which is fought with swords. There are also two Japanese sports clubs: the Galitz basketball club and the Japan Rhein Attakers85 volleyball club. Golf is also one of the most popular sports among the Japanese community in Düsseldorf, with the international golf club Kosaido being a favourite. The Kyudo Club is dedicated to the art of Japanese archery. At Vollmerswerther Deich, beginners can learn the etiquette and basics of archery, as well as the material science. Exercises with gomiyumi and empty bows, the basics of movement form and makiwara shooting - shooting at close range..•

The fine art of archery sharpens concentration and body awareness - training takes place at the Düsseldorf Kyudo club.

SPORTING SPIRIT

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in India. With the Blackcaps, Düsseldorf has a successful cricket club.

Japanese sports are not the only ones to dominate Düsseldorf's sporting scene. Cricket is one of the most important sports in India and has been represented in Düsseldorf since 1990 by the Blackcaps cricket club - the only cricket club in the state capital. Over the years, the club has become a six-time NRW league champion and, with 56 active players in three teams, is one of the largest, best-known and most successful cricket clubs in the whole of NRW. With members from more than eight different nations, it promotes diversity and integration and even became German champions in 2017. As you can see: Top companies and hobby clubs in the Asian community bring the diversity of Asian sports to Düsseldorf. Conversely, sports exports from Düsseldorf also enjoy cult status in Asia. The table tennis pro and top player from Borussia Düsseldorf, Timo Boll, for example, is an absolute superstar in China, surrounded by fans and even voted the most attractive sportsman in the world. This is how intercultural exchange works. •

JUDO FOR KIDS

Sport is an integral part of the Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei's philosophy. As an active supporter of athletics and judo, employees regularly take part in sporting events around the world - from local marathons and national tournaments to the Olympic Games. So much so that Japanese competitive athletes are also employees of the company, with fixed working and training hours. Their employment relationship continues even after their active careers. For the company, this is the best form of advertising, and for the athletes it means financial security after their active careers - a special feature, especially in popular sports. Asahi Kasei Europe, which is based in the Media Harbour, has made it its business to actively promote sporting activities in Düsseldorf as a partner of "Sportstadt Düsseldorf". For many years, Asahi Kasei has been organising regular judo camps in schools across the country - and since 2017 also in Düsseldorf - to encourage future generations in Japan to take up this traditional sport. Together with the Düsseldorf judo club JC71 and the Lessing Gymnasium, Asahi Kasei organises an annual one-day course for beginners and internationally successful professional judoka such as Kenzo Nakamura, gold medallist at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and now head coach of the Asahi Kasei judo team. The "Asahi Kasei Europe Judo Workshop" is now an established sporting event in Düsseldorf. The 6th edition in August 2023 already had 120 participants and many children and young people have found their way into judo through this event. Young judoka can also improve their techniques and training methods in Düsseldorf's many martial arts schools. In addition to judo, traditional Asian martial arts such as jiu-jitsu, aikido, karate and kendo, which train both body and mind, can be learned in the state capital - from the Akademie für Kampfsport to the Kampfkunstschule Düsseldorf e.V. For over 30 years, the Bujinkan Dojo Düsseldorf has been teaching Ninjutsu, a martial art from Japan that originated around 800 years ago. The Yong-Ho Kwan sports school has been teaching Asian martial arts such as Tae Kwon-Do and kick-boxing for almost as long. •

The annual judo workshop organised by Asahi Kasei aims to introduce Düsseldorf's children and young people to Japanese martial arts.

Words: Karolina Landowski
Pictures: F95/David Matthäus, Kyudo, Stephanie Wunderl/D.SPORTS

Import/Export: Sport