Sil’s Digest from Sapporo, Japan : The Unsung Efforts and Heart in the Pandemic-ridden Tokyo Olympics

Conversation with Ms. Paromita Roy, Volunteer

How would you describe the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? Did you enjoy them? Now the Paralympics have started and many people, not only athletes but also organizers and volunteer staff are working really hard. Here, I would like all of you to look back at the events during the Tokyo Olympics.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was completely different from the olympics games in the past. This event seemed to be the hope of light illuminating our world. Behind the success, there were immense efforts of people working on this big event. This time, we interviewed Ms. Paromita, who contributed to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as a volunteer with the international press!
Listening to her experiences and perspectives regarding the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has made me feel inspired and so fascinated with so much of information that will not be witnessed in most other media! So here you go!

How did you feel about your work and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics?

Here are the questions that I asked Ms. Roy.
1. What are your duties as a member of the Japan Olympic Committee?
2. What kind of work do you feel rewarding about?
3. What concerns or struggles did you have? And how did you deal with them?
4. From an Indian perspective, what was your experience during the Olympics?

Let’s watch the video below.

What kind of experience did you have during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic season?

Me: We would love to know your experience with the Tokyo Olympics from preparation to games.
Ms. Roy: Yes, it was a very interesting and a fulfilling journey. Japan has started gearing up for this mega event years in advance that has been clearly seen with the AD`s, panels and signages all around. We could see the big countdown clock infront of Tokyo Station giving a positive vibe and enthusiasm among people in Japan. I was equally thrilled and hoping to be a part of this mega event that will create history. So not wasting much time I quickly searched on the website, found the procedures for volunteer recruitment and did the needful at the earliest.. Since it was a global participation and volunteers from all over the world were participating I had to wait for the final list to arrive. The day finally came when I got an email from the selection committee for an interview and eventually got selected for the event. During the training period though the roles were not specified but the basic rules were clearly emphasized. I still vividly remember while on my pre-pandemic training session a banner written ` Eight Months To Go ` for the Olympic and then ….. just after few months the Pandemic happened, and things started changing drastically to a level that made us feel that this Olympic will remain a dream for all !!!

But I was really happy that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics finally took place in spite of the pandemic. The people of Japan are great with mask etiquette and are very disciplined. That’s why things happened smoothly despite a state of emergency. By the time the Olympics started we were all well equipped with the new rules and precautionary measures that included using hand sanitizers, wearing masks and going through a couple of PCR tests. We were trained to make an awareness and follow certain rules as precautionary measures among all the participants.

Needless to say, we missed all our international volunteers whom we were so much looking forward to making this event more vibrant and colorful. Unfortunately this pandemic made us go without spectators and volunteers from other countries, a void that was felt all the time. The pomp and glory of the Olympics would have been entirely different otherwise. We all were well versed with the situation and protocols that need to be followed and were totally aware with the precautionary measures as we knew the seriousness of this situation. And that was the key that we managed to sail this boat smoothly despite all this challenging situation. Discipline and Planning played a vital role to make this event go successful. Providing right information at the right time, helping each other in every possible way, specially we were more concerned with the international members and athletes as we knew they will definitely face challenges for even small things as language being a concern. So we were always in an alert mode to support them. It was teamwork that made this event successful as we all were constantly on our toes to provide them support in the best possible way. Fortunately we had many bilingual and multilingual volunteers who made things easier and comfortable to the participants. I am even more grateful to our management for taking such good care to all volunteers and made everything available to us without any obligations. I feel so proud to be part of this event and was able to make wonderful friends in this journey that will remain`UNITED WITH EMOTIONS.′

How the Tokyo Olympics impacted you and the world?

You can watch the video below.

I was so happy to interview Ms. Paromita because I learned so many things that I did not know. A lot of people worked so hard in unity and supported each other to make the Olympics successful. I reflect that discovering deep efforts behind success is difficult, but it is critical so that we can understand the true value!

Reference & Photo Courtesy:

https://truthunfold.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-indian-athletes-participating-on-24th-july-medal-events-qualifying-rounds-and-group-stage-matches/
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/more-than-19500-mother-tongues-spoken-in-india-census-5241056/
https://thesmartlocal.com/japan/japanese-hospitality/
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/games/victory-ceremony/podium