Olympic Games Organizing Committee Chairman Hashimoto "Closed without major problems" Emphasis on results

Before the Tokyo Organizing Committee closes on the night of the 8th, Chairman Hashimoto of the Games Organizing Committee said at a press conference, "Safety was our top priority, and the closing day was reached without any major problems as a whole." He emphasized that the measures against infection with the new coronavirus have achieved some results.

Before the Tokyo Olympics, which started on the 23rd of last month, will end the 17-day schedule at the closing ceremony held at the National Stadium on the night of the 8th, Chairman Hashimoto of the Organizing Committee will hold a press conference at the main press center in Koto-ku, Tokyo. Did.

Among them, regarding the infection control of the new corona, which was the biggest issue of the competition, "The key to safety and security is inspection, and positive people are promptly quarantined and appropriate measures are taken to prevent the spread of infection. Priority was given to the closing day without any major problems as a whole, "he emphasized that infection control has achieved some success for the operation of the Games.

On top of that, based on the fact that there were a number of cases in which the rules for infection control were not followed among some athletes and those involved in the Games, "I also felt that it was difficult for some athletes and those involved in the Games to follow the rules 100% even with thorough management. I would like to continue to take all possible measures against corona and prepare for the Paralympics. "

In addition, regarding the fact that most of the venues were unattended, "We couldn't help unattended as the infection continued to spread. Because it is unattended, we can bring the value of the unprecedented tournament to connect through images by making use of technology. I asked for understanding.

On the other hand, regarding the treatment of spectators at the Tokyo Paralympics, which will start on the 24th of this month, he merely stated that he would like to make a careful decision at an appropriate time based on the infection situation and the government policy.

Accepting protests against racism Advances towards the realization of diversity

The IOC = International Olympic Committee has relaxed some of the provisions of the Olympic Charter that "prohibit political, religious and racial publicity" from this tournament, and athletes will be racially pre-matched at the stadium. He acknowledged actions that show his willingness to protest against discrimination.

This was decided in response to a proposal from the IOC Athletes Committee, which had repeated dialogues with players from each country and region. At this tournament, soccer girls Nadeshiko Japan and overseas teams will be on one knee before the match. Showed a protest against racism on the ground.

It was also historic that a transgender athlete whose mind and body did not match was the first to participate in the Olympics.

The IOC formulated guidelines in 2015, stating that if the male hormone testosterone level meets certain criteria, it is possible to participate in the Olympic Games, and for the first time in this tournament, the weightlifting women's 87 kg participated. Laurel Hubbard, a New Zealand national team in a class that exceeds.

In addition, many competitions have adopted mixed gender events, making it a major step toward the realization of diversity, one of the competition concepts.

One after another slander to players on SNS

At this Tokyo Olympics, while issues in the digital era emerged, such as a series of SNS slander against athletes, there were also scenes where athletes praised each other's play, strongly impressing the inherent value of sports. ..

At the Tokyo Olympics this time, while the athletes themselves used SNS to make various transmissions, there were a number of cases in which they were directly damaged by slander.

Among Japanese athletes, Daiki Hashimoto, who won two gold medals in gymnastics boys, and Jun Mizutani, a table tennis player, have revealed that they have posted slanderous posts on their SNS.

The IOC = International Olympic Committee provides counseling at the 24-hour consultation desk, and the JOC = Japanese Olympic Committee has also stated that it will deal with it in cooperation with related organizations, saying that it is "absolutely unacceptable."

However, while the negative aspects of the digital era emerged, there were many scenes that impressed the inherent value of sports, such as the players praising each other's good fights.

In particular, in the new competition adopted from the Tokyo Olympics, scenes and sports climbing where other athletes rushed to Aoi Okamoto, who missed a medal at the women's skateboarding park but continued to challenge difficult techniques. I was impressed by how the athletes who finished the fight shed tears and praised each other for their good fights, regardless of national or regional differences.

At the tournament where the significance of holding the Olympic Games was questioned due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the athletes showed not only competing for rankings, but also overcoming various differences, respecting each other, and pursuing their best. It reminded us of the original significance of sports and the Olympics.

A series of voices from athletes asking for measures against heat

At the Tokyo Olympics, which was held in the hot and humid climate conditions peculiar to Japan, many athletes called for action during the Games, and the Games Organizing Committee was forced to take measures against the heat during the Games. rice field.

This Olympic Games, which was held in midsummer Tokyo as the main venue, was held every day in the heat.

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic, who is No. 1 in the world ranking of men's tennis singles, said, "I felt like I was dragging my legs because everything was heavy," said Nyjah Huston, who was No. 1 in the world ranking of skateboarding men's street. The players complained one after another, saying, "The course at the venue was wonderful, but only the heat was harsh."

In response to the voices of the athletes, the Games Organizing Committee, in consultation with international sports organizations, responds to sudden changes in the holding time for tennis, soccer, and marathons held in Sapporo as a measure against the heat. I took.

Regarding this, the managing director of the Organizing Committee said, "There was a strong voice that the heat so far would affect the health and life of the athletes, and there was no option to keep time," said the new coronavirus. I had to admit that the measures against heat, which was regarded as an important issue along with the measures against infection, had to be changed to a situation that exceeded expectations.

In addition, the heat stroke of concern was that from the 24th of last month to the 6th of this month, when the competition began in earnest, a total of 54 people, including the staff and volunteers involved in running the competition, were treated for heat stroke.

Based on the lessons learned from this tournament, the Organizing Committee intends to utilize it for measures against the heat at the Paralympics that will start on the 24th of this month.