Following the end of the Olympic Games on Sunday, organizing committee members and volunteers looked back with satisfaction at their efforts to support the athletes amid a myriad of challenges.
Aki Kobayashi, 41, said Sunday, the day of the closing ceremony, that she felt like she had been pelted with rocks by the public, but that she felt enthusiasm for the Games while they were going on.
Kobayashi was in charge of risk management during the Olympics, dispatched to the organizing committee from a company in that industry, and worked mainly on infection control measures.
The decision to ban spectators from most Olympic venues was finally made in July, after being postponed from March.
"One of my colleagues cried after it was decided to hold the Games without spectators. Even though there was a lot of uncertainty, I worked as hard as I could to make sure it was safe," Kobayashi said.
Although leaks were noted in the "bubble" approach meant to keep athletes and other Games-related personnel from coming into contact with external parties, most athletes carefully followed the rules, according to her.
She said she became even more determined to help them compete in the Games without problems as she saw masked athletes practicing diligently and silently under the strict regulations.
Many messages of gratitude from athletes have been posted since the Games ended. Kobayashi said she is now at the "halfway point" and is preparing for the Paralympics, which will start on Aug. 24.
Her feelings are shared by the about 70,000 volunteers.
A woman in her 30s who helped with doping tests at a competition venue said she thought twice about volunteering. About 10,000 volunteers did pull out, in response to some scandals and anxiety about getting infected with the novel coronavirus.
But the woman ultimately participated, believing the Olympics could not be held without volunteers. Looking back, she said it was worth the effort and that she had been moved by the athletes reaping the rewards of their hard work.
Some volunteers are said to have been worried about stirring resentment when walking in town in their uniforms, but the overall atmosphere is said to have greatly changed after the Games began.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
