Prince Harry Calls Sport a 'Conduit for Healing' in Tokyo Ahead of Charity Polo Match

The Duke of Sussex's outing in Japan comes before he saddles up for the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup this weekend

Prince Harry is kicking off his sporty trip to Asia with a stop in Tokyo.

The Duke of Sussex stepped out in the capital of Japan on Wednesday for the ISPS Sports Values Summit-Special Edition. He attended with his friend (and fellow polo player!) Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras.

Prince Harry, 38, and Figueras, 46, participated in the summit on the power of sport, community and philanthropy.

In a statement via his charity Sentebale, Harry said, "I have long believed that sport is a conduit for healing – not just for the mind and body but the world. Sport requires having a dream and the need for community."

"Whether banded together in victory or showing up with respect in loss, no one ever crosses a finish line or scores a goal without the help and belief of others," the founder of the Invictus Games, which is heading to Germany next month, added. "The lessons we learn on the field are often the same principles of philanthropy; that a mission, hard work, dedication, and partnership can make even the impossible, possible. That is what giving back requires, and we are all capable of creating or joining a team to do so."

Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry: Inside the 'Dynamic That Works for Them' (Exclusive)

Prince Harry also met the Stellenbosch University Choir, the oldest choir in South Africa. In a video shared by the university on social media, Harry told them to keep spreading the love.

He also showed off his sense of humor. When a man off-camera said, "For such an icon, so humble," Harry quickly retorted, "Well, you are fabulous" — drawing laughs from the choir! The two men then shared a hug.

"I'll put that on my resumé," the man said.

Prince Harry then asked if they could do a group hug, ending with Harry leading them in a countdown to shout in unison, "South Africa!"

Figueras said in a statement, “It’s wonderful to be here in Japan on behalf of Sentebale taking the opportunity to talk about the power of polo, a sport I love, and how it serves as a platform to raise awareness for our work. Next stop is Singapore, where we will be raising funds for Sentebale’s important work in southern Africa whilst enjoying a great afternoon of polo."

They were joined at the summit by a diverse cohort — ISPS Handa Founder Dr. Handa, former New Zealand All Blacks and ISPS Handa Ambassador Dan Carter, Sentebale Chair Sophie Chandauka MBE, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of South Africa’s Stellenbosch University Professor Wim de Villiers and Royal Australian Navy Veteran and Invictus Games Gold Medalist Steve James.

Carter said, “When I was playing sport, I was most proud of inspiring the next generation of kids coming through. Now, I have been able to bring my two passions together – sport and giving back.”

ISPS Handa, the nickname for the International Sports Promotion Society founded by Dr. Handa in 2006, has lent its name to Prince Harry’s Sentebale Polo Cup since 2018. The charitable organization was created to “further the transformative power of sport across the globe,” funding and promoting events across the sports spectrum, its website states.

Prince Harry was spotted arriving in Japan on Tuesday ahead of the sports summit. The Duke of Sussex wore a baseball cap featuring the logo for Archewell Foundation, the organization he created with his wife, Meghan Markle, as he made his way through the airport.

News of Harry’s participation in the panel was announced in the same statement in July confirming he would saddle up for the 2023 Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup in Singapore on Aug. 12.

King Charles’ son launched Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to help children and young people affected by poverty, inequality, and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. Since 2010, the Polo Cup has raised over $14 million for the organization’s work.

On Saturday, Prince Harry will trot onto the pitch for the Royal Salute Sentebale Team at the Singapore Polo Club. Meanwhile, Figueras, a longstanding Sentebale ambassador, will captain the Singapore Polo Club Team. The equestrian event will mark a return to familiar turf, as the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup (as it was known at the time) was held at the Singapore Polo Club in 2017.

Related: The Royal Family's Best Polo Moments, from William and Harry Facing Off to Sweet Sideline Squads

Sharing more about this year’s focus, Prince Harry said in a statement, "The annual Polo Cup is essential to Sentebale’s vital work ensuring children and young people are healthy, resilient, and able to thrive. The funds raised this year will support our Clubs and Camps programme, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV. In a time where being HIV positive is no longer a death sentence, we are empowering young people to know their status, stay healthy, and eliminate the stigma so that they can break the cycle."

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"We are delighted to return to the renowned Singapore Polo Club in August, and are once again enormously grateful for the polo community and our sponsors, in particular ISPS Handa, for their ongoing commitment to Lesotho and Botswana’s youth," he added in July.

The Duke of Sussex and Figueras seemed to be in good spirits when they touched down in Tokyo on Tuesday, beginning a trip connected to how their friendship got its start. Figueras met Harry at a charity match benefiting Sentebale in 2007 and previously told PEOPLE the prince’s passion made an impact.

"From day one, I saw how committed he was to his charity," the Argentinian polo star told PEOPLE last summer. "Fast forward 15 years, I've been to Lesotho with him a few times, and I've seen what great work the charity does and how important it is for a lot of kids, how committed he is, how much he really cares about it."

The ISPS Handa Sentebale Polo Cup has been held in Aspen, Colorado for the last two years — a short flight from Harry’s California home withMeghan and their two children, 4-year-old son Prince Archie and 2-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet.

In years past, however, the polo cup has been held around the world, from Barbados to Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Italy, as well as the U.K.

Prince Harry's appearance in Tokyo comes just after the royal family removed references to Harry's "His Royal Highness" title from their official website. The title was replaced with "the Duke" or "the Duke of Sussex."

What would happen to Prince Harry and Meghan's titles was revealed shortly after they announced they were stepping back as working members of the royal family in 2020.

Following the Sandringham Summit, when Prince Harry met with Queen Elizabeth, the then-Prince Charles and Prince William to discuss his change, Buckingham Palace revealed, "The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family."

Prince Harry and Meghan would still be referred to formally as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and called Harry, the Duke of Sussex and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

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