Tokyo 2020 — My Olympic Journey

Summary

A volunteer shares their personal journey and reflections on their involvement with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, detailing their experiences from training to receiving their uniform and the philosophical approach they've adopted amidst organizational challenges.

Abstract

The author, a volunteer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, provides an insider's account of their preparations and experiences leading up to the event. Despite the games' postponement and the impact of COVID-19, they remain enthusiastic about the opportunity to network and engage with a diverse group of individuals. The volunteer has participated in various training sessions, including those focused on Olympic Spirit, team building, and first aid, and has received their official uniform and gear. They express some reservations about the decision-making processes behind the scenes but choose to focus on the positive aspects of the volunteer experience. The author encourages readers to follow their Olympic journey through a newsletter and a series of stories, maintaining a stance of optimism and excitement for the upcoming games.

Opinions

The author is excited about the unique opportunity to volunteer at the Olympics, viewing it as a chance to be part of a global event that embodies unity, sportsmanship, and inclusion.
They have a pragmatic approach to the organizational aspects of the Olympics, accepting that some decisions are beyond their control and adopting a philosophy from their corporate experience to deal with this.
The volunteer is critical of some behind-the-scenes decisions but chooses to concentrate on the positive volunteer spirit rather than documenting the controversies.
Despite the surrounding "nonsense" and scandals related to the Tokyo 2020 games, the author's commitment to the Olympic ideal and the volunteer experience remains undeterred.
They are looking forward to sharing their Olympic journey with others, inviting readers to sign up for a newsletter and follow their story for a more personal perspective on the games.

Tokyo 2020 — My Olympic Journey

A volunteer’s journal

Image by author

When I moved back to Japan in 2017, one thing that excited me was a chance to volunteer for the Olympics. While that journey was delayed by a year, the opportunity to be part of one of the world’s biggest events is now becoming a reality.

The Olympics brings to mind an ideal of unity, sportsmanship and inclusion like no other event. These ideals are what I signed up for. Being part of such a massive global event, I reasoned, would surely be a beneficial experience.

My goals for participation beyond that are to network with people from across the country and around the world. While that scope has been greatly reduced thanks to COVID, I should still have the opportunity to engage with people outside my normal social circle.

To date I have attended several training sessions. One was about Olympic Spirit and inclusion, another for team building, and the next taught us basic first aid. Last month I had leader’s training, and later in June I will attend training for my role as an Olympic Family Services Team Leader. I’m excited to see what that’s all about.

Yesterday I got my uniform, and while I was expecting a bit more swag, it was still pretty cool. I got convertible sweatpants, polo shirts, athletic shoes, a couple of bags, and a prepaid Visa card to cover train fares. That’s me all decked out above!

My behind the scenes look so far though, has had me scratching my hairless head about some of the decisions being made. So I’ve had to apply a philosophy I used back in corporate: “Those decisions are above my pay-grade.” This was a hard lesson for me to learn. An inability to apply this philosophy may also be the reason that thousands of people have opted out of participation in the Olympics, despite their initial enthusiasm. The show always looks better from the seats.

For my part, what happens in the process of presenting the games does not dissuade me from wanting to take part in this once in a lifetime experience. Despite all the nonsense surrounding the 2020 games here in Tokyo. I don’t want to document those situations, instead I’m focusing on keeping it positive and focusing on the volunteer spirit. If you’re curious, it is easy enough to find countless stories of poor decisions and scandal surrounding the games using your favorite search engine.

Image by author

So here we go, just a few more weeks until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. One year late, but hopefully with the same spirit and enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you.

Follow my Olympic journey by signing up for my newsletter. Click here.

You can also read about my Olympic Jurney in these stories.

You can also follow my Olympic Journey by being tagged in the story or following me. Add a message to this story if you would like to be tagged in future posts, just like Agnes Laurens & Tree Langdon have.

Tokyo 2020 — My Olympic Journey

My Tokyo 2020 Volunteer Journey

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