So Much Violence And Harassment Has Been Experienced By Japanese Athletes They Can't Count It

Photo illustration (Eugene Lim / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report entitled I Was Hit So Many Times I Can't Count reveals dark facts about the world of sports in Japan. It is said that Japanese athletes, especially children, often suffer from physical and verbal abuse. In fact, a number of findings mention the vulnerability of sexual harassment in exercise activities.

HRW found that fact after documenting the experiences of more than 800 athletes from 50 sports. The 67-page report was released on Monday, July 20, Reuters reported.

The report looked at Japan's history of corporal punishment in sport, including the first admissions from athletes. "Participation in sports should provide children with the joy of play and opportunities for physical and mental development and growth," the report's introduction said.

"However, in Japan, violence and abuse are too often part of the experience of child athletes. As a result, sport is the cause of pain, fear, and sadness for too many Japanese children."

The reports come with the start of the Tokyo Olympics - if there is no COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympics itself was decided to be postponed for a year.

"The specific offenses we documented include punching, slapping, kicking or striking with objects, and giving excessive or insufficient food and drinking," Minky Worden, Director of Global Initiatives at HRW, told a news conference.

Earlier, April 2013, the Japan Sports Association, the Japan Sports Association for People with Disabilities, the All Japan High School Athletics Federation, the Cultural Association, and the Olympic Committee, issued a joint Declaration called "Eliminating Violence in Sports".

In the declaration, the five organizations reaffirmed "the meaning and values of sport at a time when society is struggling with the issue of violence in sport." The declaration at the same time states "represents a determination to eliminate violence in sport in Japan."

"Violence and harassment are unfortunately part of society and also occur in sport," said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ... The IOC stands with all athletes, everywhere, to declare that harassment of any kind is against its values. Olympic value, which calls out to everyone in sport.

"All members of society have the same right to respect and dignity, just as all athletes have the right to a safe sports environment - one that is fair, fair and free from all forms of harassment and abuse."

In addition to the declaration, the relevant authorities also cut funding for the judo federation during this period. This was done after a coach was proven physically abusing a female athlete.

However, HRW said efforts to eliminate sports violence in Japan were still not enough. HRW is demanding that organizations such as the Japan Sports Council make the upcoming Olympics a catalyst for change.

Minky Worden also noted that child abuse in sports is a global problem. To make matters worse, the systems for reporting cases of harassment are opaque, unresponsive and inadequate. "Human Rights Watch calls on Japan to take decisive action and take the lead in overcoming this global crisis," concluded Worden.