A series of athletes expressing their intentions at the Olympic Games

The Tokyo Olympics that ended on the 8th of this month.

At the tournament, some of the previously prohibited athletes' protests against racial discrimination have been recognized, and the movements of athletes who have shown their intention to protest against discrimination and oppression have continued.

Young people take various views on these movements.

The Olympic Charter prohibits political, religious, and racial publicity activities at competition venues and awards ceremonies, and at the 1968 Mexico Games, two American track and field athletes pushed up their black gloved fists on the podium. There are cases of being banished from the Games in protest of black discrimination.

However, last month, against the backdrop of the "Black Lives Matter" movement that spread all over the world, the IOC = International Olympic Committee relaxed some of this regulation at the Tokyo Games, and protests by athletes at pre-match competition venues. I made a decision to admit my actions.

In response to this, the British national football team announced that they would express protests against racial discrimination even before the opening of the game, and on the 21st of last month when the competition started, they put on one knee and protested against racial discrimination before the start of the game. I have stated.

On this day, the Chilean national team players and the Swedish, American and New Zealand national team players also protested with one knee on the ground.

British captain Steph Houghton said, "We have to support people who are discriminated against. I feel that our intentions are understood and these feelings are getting stronger and stronger."

On the 24th, the Japanese national team player also knelt down with the British player who played against him, and at the post-match meeting, captain Saki Kumagai said, "It was an opportunity for all the Japanese teams to talk and think about racial discrimination. We all decided to do it in the sense of respect for the British players. "

In addition, on the 25th, 18-year-old Luciana Alvarado, the Costa Rica national team for gymnastics, introduced a pose in which Yuka's performance was performed with one knee and a fist pushed up.

The American Leven Sounders, who won the silver medal in the athletics women's shot put, took a pose on the podium with both hands raised above their heads and crossed to represent the shape of an "X". ..

According to the Associated Press, Sounders said he represented a "crossroads where all the oppressed people meet" and protested for solidarity.

Protests at the awards ceremony are prohibited and are being investigated by the IOC.

In addition to the mitigated protests, there were scenes in which the players showed their intentions.

The German team that appeared in the gymnastics women's qualifying wore a bodysuit that covered the whole body instead of a leotard.

In protest of the voyeur damage of female athletes and the spread of images for sexual purposes, the German Gymnastics Association announced on SNS that "female athletes show beauty without worrying about sexual problems in gymnastics. Because "was sent.

Students working on racism ...

Students who have been working on the issue of racial discrimination welcomed the players' statements of intention at the Tokyo Olympics.

Chuo University's student group "Student International Exchange Committee", which is engaged in exchange activities with international students, is an online event to encourage students to consider the issue of racial discrimination in Japan under the movement of "Black Lives Matter". Has been held.

Miki Tamura, a third-year student who serves as the representative,

"When I'm in Japan, I tend to be less aware of discrimination, but because of the corona sickness, I was in a position to be discriminated against when I went abroad, saying" Asian hate, "and the Olympic athletes. I think it changed from "unconscious" to "conscious" through our protests. I think I have to think as a party to racial discrimination. "

Tomoki Yamamoto, a third-year student who had been racist in the UK

when he was in high school, said, "When I was a high school student, when I was abroad and had a meal, I was told" Hey Jap "and we were ourselves. I have had the experience of being a party to the event. From a broader perspective, the issue of discrimination still remains. People all over the world see the Olympics, so it is important for the athletes to communicate. I think you "

first-year students of Taichi Iwasaki

to" favorite sports players to focus as long as the protests, themselves also makes it easier to participate. on the other hand, the whole team in a different matter from the competition I don't think it should be done if the forced protests affect the condition etc. "

Some students are working on "encouraging" dissemination

Some students are encouraged by the German gymnasts acting in uniforms that cover their entire body and are trying to make new announcements.

Mr. Tsubasa Hattori, a second-year university student, is active in an organization called "Voice Up Japan" that raises awareness of gender issues and works with governments and companies.

Mr. Hattori was worried about the uniforms of German gymnasts that he saw on TV news, and while searching domestic and foreign news on the Internet, he said that a female acquaintance belonging to the athletic club dislikes uniforms with legs. It is said that he remembered what he was doing.

Mr. Hattori:

"The rules stipulate that you can only wear what is on sale, so you have to wear something that has legs. I think the current situation is that even if you are dissatisfied with that, you can't question it. It was really powerful support for the top athletes to speak for us, and I thought it was very cool. ”

Also, before the opening, a woman by Mr. Morimae, Chairman of the Games Organizing Committee. He said that he felt the depth of Japan's gender issues once again, with some remarks that could be taken as disdain.

Regarding the statement of intention of the German player in such a situation, "I felt that the courage to show the difference in consciousness between Japan and overseas and to speak up firmly at the tournament held while disregarding women was wonderful. I want to connect to future activities based on the belief that I am doing the right thing. "

In the future, Mr. Hattori wants to disseminate the process of expressing the intentions of German players and the reaction to them on Twitter and Instagram of the group.

High school students in the host city of Tokyo ...

High school students in the host city, Tokyo, have heard various opinions about the statements of the athletes who have made a succession at the Tokyo Olympics.

At Tokyo Metropolitan Nishi High School in Suginami-ku, Tokyo, many students attended school for club activities and self-study during the Olympic Games, which was the summer vacation.

Third grade boy

"I think it's good for athletes to be able to show their willingness to protest in public against issues such as racism. I think some people don't know that there are such issues. I don't have many chances to feel problems such as racial discrimination when I'm in Japan, so I think it's really important to raise the issue. ”

Another third grade boy student

“ Athletes are sports in Japan. Athletes and singers are singers, and there is a strong tendency to not do anything other than what they are doing, but I think it's too much of a pattern. If it gives you an opportunity to think about things like that, I think it will have a positive effect. "

A second-year high school girl whose club activity camp was canceled last year has a negative feeling about holding the Games as the infection continues to spread, but "It's that easy to change people's way of thinking. I think it's difficult because it's not something that can be done, but I wonder if it makes sense if it becomes an Olympic Games as an opportunity to think about it, and I think that the actions taken by the athletes also make sense. "

Expert "It became a groundbreaking tournament"

Professor Atsuhisa Yamamoto of Seijo University, who specializes in sports sociology, said that the provisions of the Olympic Charter were partially relaxed at the Tokyo Games.

Professor Atsuhisa Yamamoto of Seijo University

"We need to make further improvements, but we can say that we have made some progress. The movement against racial discrimination and discrimination against women and the LGBTQ movement have become very important themes since the latter half of the 2010s, and sports have become commonplace. It's a global swell that shakes things and is rushing into the sports world. The IOC has had to accept that trend. "

In addition, Professor Yamamoto commented on the players' intentions-

"Athletes are a global

player

, and especially the current generation has a great influence because they use SNS skillfully and have a great influence. In the future, we will change the society from the existence of playing silently. Isn't it attracting attention as an important existence for going on? "

Professor Yamamoto

"The Tokyo Olympics have become a very epoch-making competition that proved that athletes can appeal their opinions, words and expressions to the world on the stage of sports. IOC will continue to be caught in the old age. We need to fundamentally think about how to change the Olympics and accept the expressions of athletes. "