Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI) takes center stage at the Tokyo 2020 Games
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Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI) takes center stage at the Tokyo 2020 Games
Written by Yoko Heukels, CMP, Meeting Element
When the 2020 Summer Olympics kicked off in the midst of increasing COVID cases in Japan, my initial trepidation quickly became a feeling of inspiration and hope – especially when I realized the long-term impact this game can have on the Japanese society at large.
Being a homogenous country where 98% of the population is Japanese, Japan has not always embraced diversity. When I was growing up, conformity to the societal norm/expectation was highly emphasized and valued. The idea of DEI was a foreign concept, and I always felt that Japan was trailing behind other countries in its innovation because of its reluctance in accepting new and different ideas.
Fast forward several decades to the present, the Tokyo Olympic committee has been very intentional with its DEI efforts by making it one of the foundational concepts (Unity in Diversity), as well as incorporating it in its “Know Differences, Show Differences” slogan, its event emblems and all aspects of planning and operation of the Olympic Games.
As a result, Tokyo 2020 will be the most gender equal, nondiscriminatory Games in history, having 49% female participation, all countries having both female and male athletes, and offering the greatest number of mixed-gender events ever. The management structure increased its female executive board members by 42%. The DEI initiatives also received the Silver and Best Practice PRIDE Index awards for its inclusion of LGBT and other sexual minorities. More than the medal count, I am excited about the momentum in DEI initiatives that seems to take hold in Japanese society – a true Olympic legacy.
The MPI Potomac Chapter Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Committee is committed to bringing you relevant topics and our DE&I System and Roadmap. To learn more about our DEI Initiative, please visit us at www.mpi.org/chapters/potomac/media-resources/diversity-inclusion.
The views expressed by our guest writers are their opinions and not necessarily those of MPI Potomac.
