Tokyo 2020 Establishes Athletes and Media Commissions To Further Reinforce Its Plans for the Games

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is pleased to announce the establishment of the Tokyo 2020 Athletes’ Commission and Media Commission. The fourth Executive Board meeting today confirmed the formation of the two groups of specialists.

Each commission will bring crucial insights from their respective domains of expertise to the organising committee and assist it in its preparations to host a successful and well-organised Olympic and Paralympic Games that will satisfy athletes and media as well as the Olympic Family, spectators and all other stakeholders.

Speaking at a press conference after the Executive Board meeting, Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said: "I have attended the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, which gave me the opportunity to renew old friendships with several people from all over the world who are actively involved in the global sporting community. And every one of them told me how excited they were and the great expectations they have for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. To ensure that we are able to fulfill these expectations, we will further strengthen our "All-Japan" team, made up of representatives from a broad cross-section of Japanese society, and accelerate our preparations for the successful delivery of the Games." The Games Foundation Plan will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee in February 2015.

The Tokyo 2020 Athletes’ Commission will consist of 21 leading figures of Japan’s sporting community (11 female and 10 male, please find the full list below) each of whom is eager to play their part in helping Tokyo to achieve its "athletes first" commitment for the Games. The commission will be chaired by Daichi Suzuki, gold medallist at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games and President of the Japan Swimming Federation. Junichi Kawai, a medallist at the Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, will serve as Vice Chair. The commission’s inaugural meeting will take place on 10 October.

Hisashi Hieda, Chairman and CEO of Fuji Media Holdings Group, will lead the Tokyo 2020 Media Commission, which is composed of 36 representatives (14 female and 22 male) of Japan media landscape. Among the members is Lucy Birmingham, President of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. The Media Commission will hold its first meeting on 16 September.

The Executive Board also agreed that the Tokyo 2020 organising committee will submit an application to the Cabinet Office to operate as a public interest incorporated foundation.

The Executive Board meeting concluded with the appointment of Hiroshi Sato, former Vice Governor of Tokyo, as Tokyo 2020 Vice Director General, while seven new members of the Tokyo 2020 Advisory Meeting were also designated. The Advisory meeting now comprises a total of 175 representatives from major domestic stakeholders.

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