(ATR) Tokyo 2020 wants all media organizations covering the Olympics to write Japanese names in the style used in Japan, with the family name first and the given name second.
The "request for cooperation" would bring all media outlets into alignment with the updated Olympic Data Feed (ODF) Language Guidelines issued in May of this year. The IOC asked the Olympic Broadcasting Services to adopt the guidelines after the Japanese government requested the change last year.
Games broadcast rightsholders were told at the World Broadcaster Briefing last month that they are now required to follow these guidelines in their broadcasts.
The guidelines also cover the other Asian teams where the standard practice is also family name first followed by given name. Those include China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong,North and South Korea and also the Unified Korean team.
"While we understand that media organizations often have their own style guides, we respectfully ask for your cooperation in joining the Olympic Broadcasting Services to adopt the new guidelines," the Tokyo 2020 Press Office said in a statement.
Around the Rings will follow this practice moving forward.
Written by Gerard Farek
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