Volunteer Training for Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Begins
Training for the “field cast” volunteerswho will assist with the operation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and ParalympicGames began on October 4 at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center inYoyogi, Tokyo. A total of roughly 550 persons attended one of the two three-hoursessions, held in the morning and afternoon, and learned about the rules andmental preparation expected of volunteers, along with Olympic and Paralympichistory. The training will be held at 13 locations in 11 prefectures throughthe end of March 2020. The Bureau of Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020Preparation also held a similar training program on the same day for “citycast” volunteers who will assist visitors outside the Games venues.

Enjoying learning to foster a sense of unity
The training session for the field cast,which was open to the media, featured an introduction to the history of theGames to give the volunteers basic knowledge, along with a diversity segmentthat included interactive learning, and group work to create a sense of unity.For the group work, volunteers formed teams of three to discuss and answerquestions intended to deepen their understanding of persons with disabilitiesand raise their awareness of the Games, which will begin in less than 300 days.
The training program, including thepreparation of a 180-page handbook that is being distributed to field castvolunteers, was developed primarily by Nippon Foundation Volunteer SupportCenter. The handbook comprises six chapters covering what volunteers can expectand what is expected of them, the history and significance of the Olympics andParalympics, an outline of the Games, the diversity and inclusion that theGames’ basic concept seeks to achieve, communication and hospitality, andsafety management and precautions. Interviews with volunteers from the Rio 2016Games and photographs and illustrations demonstrating things like how to assistwheelchair users are also included.
Participants commented that the materialswere easy to understand and gave them confidence, and that they were lookingforward to the actual events. Yusuke Sakaue, Vice Director General of the TokyoOrganising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (“Tokyo 2020”), commented, “With explanations from Paraathletes and former volunteers with disabilities, which were not included intraining for past Games, and elements for learning from the perspective ofbeing in the Games, the content is easy to understand and enjoyable. I couldfeel the enthusiasm of the participants. Through this training, I hope tocreate momentum for working together as one team.”
An honor to be part of this great event
At the training session, The NipponFoundation Executive Director Jumpei Sasakawa expressed his hopes for theGames, noting, “For The Nippon Foundation, which seeks to achieve an inclusivesociety where all people support one another, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic andParalympic Games are a wonderful opportunity. It is a great honor to be able tobe part of these Games.
“The most important part of being avolunteer is to ‘enjoy yourself.’ I believe that athletes, spectators, andvolunteers sharing the experience of having fun together will lead to asuccessful Games.”
The Nippon Foundation Volunteer SupportCenter was established based on a partnership agreement signed in 2017 withTokyo 2020 for cooperation and coordination in the area of volunteer activitiesfor the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Center will disseminateinformation to volunteers, hold events and forums, and create materials andtrain instructors for training programs. The Center also sent a team to observeand learn from the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, and will use thisexperience to build enthusiasm for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Masaya Ninomiya, an associate professor atBunkyo University and a consultant to the Volunteer Support Center, played akey role in preparing the training program and materials. He commented, “Wewanted to make the materials easy to read and easy to understand. The programincludes sign language interpretation for deaf and hard-of-hearingparticipants, and the handbook has 2D barcodes that can be used to play anaudio recording of the text for persons with visual impairment. We hope thisprogram and handbook will promote an understanding of the importance ofdiversity and create even greater interest in the Games.”
2020 volunteers
The Tokyo 2020 Games will have two types ofvolunteers: a field cast that will assist athletes and at Games-relatedfacilities, and a city cast that will assist visitors and provide informationat airports, train and subway stations, and tourist spots.
Roughly 80,000 field cast members, who wereselected from more than 200,000 applicants, will work in one of nine fields: generalinformation, operational support, competitions, health care, mobility support,technology, personal assistance for athletes and staff, media, and ceremonies.According to Tokyo 2020, which selected the volunteers, a wide range of ages –from teenagers to persons in their 80s – is represented, with the largestgroups being those in their 50s (22%) and in their 40s (19%), and 61% arewomen. In addition, 12% of the field cast is non-Japanese, from 120 countriesand territories. These volunteers will work 8-hour days and be provided with auniform, as well as a box lunch and a 1,000-yen prepaid public transportationcard per day.
Approximately 40,000 city cast members havebeen selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and other local governmentsof event sites, from roughly 11,000 registered Tokyo Marathon volunteers andmore than 35,000 applicants.
Contact
Public Relations Team
The Nippon Foundation
- Email: cc@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp