INTERVIEW: JOC Chief Calls for Stronger Support for Female Athletes

Tokyo, April 1 (Jiji Press)--With women making up 50 pct of qualification spots for the first time, the 2024 Paris Olympics highlighted both progress for female athletes and the need for stronger support systems to help sustain their careers, Japanese Olympic Committee President Seiko Hashimoto has said.

"Times have changed, and it has become easier for women to participate," Hashimoto, the first woman to lead the JOC, said in a recent interview. "Yet, what matters is whether the proper support systems are in place."

For an example of what such support can look like, Hashimoto pointed to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, for which she served as president of the organizing committee. The event was held one year behind the original schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A clinic for female athletes was set up inside the athletes' village medical center, staffed entirely by women and offering services including acupuncture, massage, mental health care and dental treatment.

The clinic responded to a range of needs. Some athletes could only be treated by female practitioners for religious reasons, while others required care tailored to women's health.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]