Tokyo's Diversity Olympics Dogged by Controversy

Tokyo's Diversity Olympics Dogged by Controversy

Since Tokyo 2020 can't really brag about tackling environmental issues, sustainability, cost cutting, or transparency, by default diversity and inclusiveness have become the branding agenda. This could be a positive legacy, but can the Olympics serve as a catalyst for Japan to reinvent itself? Probably not, due to the patriarchal elite's ethnonationalism and aversion to diversity and inclusion.

NOlympics Guide to Tokyo 2020

TOKYO 2020: A Disaster a Decade in the Making The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are over. They have exposed to the entire world the depths to which the IOC will play with our lives in order to satisfy TV and sponsorship contracts, and the media has largely echoed the fact that much of the world has now sour

Concerns and controversies at the 2020 Summer Olympics

A number of concerns and controversies arose leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics, which took place in Tokyo, Japan. The games were postponed until July 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IOC stated that their Japanese partners and the former prime minister Shinzo Abe "made it very clear" in 2020, "that Japan could not manage a postponement beyond next summer [2021] at the latest".[1] Just weeks before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, honorary patron Emperor Naruhito was said to be "extremely worried about the current status of coronavirus infections",[2] and was "concerned that while there [were] voices of anxiety among the public, the holding (of the events) may lead to the expansion of infections".[3]

Asian Games in Japan plagued by troubles | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

The organizers of the 2026 Asian Games currently underway in Japan have unveiled container houses for athletes, amid calls from some overseas participants for improvements to those facilities.

Athletes 'can't take it any more' as Asian Games issues mount

The Asian Games in Japan were facing more accusations of poor organisation Friday with a world champion gymnast "totally exhausted", the public drafted in to rescue stranded athletes and South Korea…

2020 Summer Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and officially branded as Tokyo 2020, were an international multi-sport event held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on July 21, 2021. Originally scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020, the Tokyo Games were postponed until 2021 on March 24, 2020 as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the only such postponement in the history of the Olympic Games. However, the Tokyo 2020 branding was retained for marketing purposes.

What’s the Asian Games accommodation crisis, and where will athletes stay?

In a cost-cutting move, Japan decided against setting up a dedicated athletes' village but now faces a backlash.

'Chaotic' Asian Games threaten Japan hopes of hosting Olympics again

The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya saw a catalogue of mishaps, from athletes taken to the wrong venues to the North Korean national anthem played for the South Korean hockey team.

Asian Games in Japan Leave Questions of Legacy – Adnkronos English

Nagoya, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–The first Summer Asian Games held in Japan in over three decades left behind questions of its legacy. The 16 days of sport mainly held in the central prefecture of Aichi through Sunday featured venues full of cheering crowds and scenes of excitement shared by a wide range of people, a sharp contrast to the spectatorless Tokyo Olympics in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian Games brought together over 15,000 members of delegations from 45 countries and regions. Japan rewrote its record high for both total medal tally and gold medal count for the quadrennial sporting tournament, sweeping up 269 medals, including 83 golds. Japan left behind valuable memories for people in the country. Spectators witnessed high-level performances by athletes, and were introduced to Asia’s vast array of cultures. People also had a chance to see athletes at public events to celebrate the medalists. The 2021 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo had 1,423.8 billion yen in costs. The budget for the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games totaled 298 billion yen, despite the number of sports and participating athletes being larger than those of the worldwide sporting festival. The latest Asian Games aimed to create a sustainable event that was simple yet smoothly operated. The organizing committee decided not to newly build an athletes’ village, while opting to host individual sporting events at existing venues in five Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo. The massive sporting event, however, was not without its hiccups, especially in terms of operations. The event was hosted without the involvement of a major advertising agency taking charge of daily operations, which was unusual for a major international tournament in Japan. Without the know-how of such a company, many staff members on the organizer’s side were inexperienced. “There were operational difficulties from the very start,” a senior official of the organizing committee said. An event planning company tasked with venue operations failed to submit venue diagrams in time, according to a person familiar with the matter. “There was a lack of information sharing,” the person said. The person said that preparations dragged on until just before the opening ceremony, due to expense calculations and venue-related planning being delayed. Issues also plagued the tournament after competitions kicked off. North Korea’s national anthem was played instead of South Korea’s anthem at a men’s hockey match against Bangladesh on Sept. 18, while a bus did not arrive to take the South Korean men’s basketball team to a practice session before the final against Japan on Sept. 20. The organizing committee spent a busy period apologizing and explaining these blunders. While the committee had touted strong ticket sales, many spectator seats were empty at some venues. The committee also learned valuable lessons from its delayed responses to inaccurate posts being spread on social media. The committee was quick to act on some issues. An official of the committee said that it had provided round-the-clock support to tackle reports of water leaks, clogged drain and other issues by people staying at container houses serving as accommodation for athletes. On transportation issues, the committee switched to a booking system that did not accept late bus reservations after a predetermined deadline. Junichi Kawai, commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency who has plenty of experience competing at international tournaments as a six-time Paralympian with 21 Paralympic medals in swimming under his belt, said, “We always have issues” at any big tournament. “We’ve resolved them.” The Japanese government plans to put together the country’s accumulated know-how on running a massive sporting tournament, and pass such lessons on to future generations. Japan’s basic law on sports, revised last year, stipulates that efforts securing the transparency of tournament operations and nurturing personnel are state-led measures. As part of the effort, the Asian Games organizing committee needs to leave behind reports and people with related knowledge and experience. In terms of revenues, the tournament’s sponsorship income reached 27 billion yen, exceeding the organizing committee’s goal. The legacy of the latest Asian Games is the method of cutting down on expenses through utilizing container hotels and cruise ships in place of a dedicated athletes’ village, as well as ways to deal with challenges involving the transportation of athletes. Such a legacy will be very important given that Japan may host another massive sporting tournament, including possibly another Olympic Games, in the future. A committee was launched in September to submit a bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Olympic Council of Asia President wants to keep politics out of Asian Games

The buildup to the Aichi-Nagoya Games has been overshadowed by complaints from national team delegations over organizational issues.

Japan under pressure amid accommodation woes as Asian Games kick off

It’s the world's biggest sporting event, held every four years – the 20th edition of Asian games is starting in Japan. Organisers came under pressure even before competition began… as thousands more…

Japan Olympic chief says 'lot more' athletes at Games than expected

Japan's Olympic chief admitted Saturday that "a lot more" athletes and officials came to the Asian Games than the host nation had expected, leading...

Tokyo Olympics say costs $12.6B; Audit report says much more

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Olympic organizers said Friday they are spending 1.35 trillion Japanese yen — about $12.6 billion — to stage next year’s games. Organizers said the expenditure is unchanged…

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The Olympics always accelerate policing, evictions, inequality, exploitation, and the erosion of democracy in every host city. The LA 2028 games are no different. Here are a few resources to get you started: <h2 style="font-size: 24px;"><em><u>Olympic Policing</u></em

‘String of blunders’ at the Asian Games is drawing growing criticism in Japan…Is the cause ‘ditching big corporations’?

From the ‘Toyotomi Hideyoshi’ controversy to inadequate lodging and meals, misdirected buses, and even the North Korean anthem played instead of the South Korean national anthem. Issues around the ...