Musuta Kusaka's Everyday Journey with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Japan

Dad bites event staff

That’s because last month I went to an event called ” BEYOND STADIUM 2023 Parasports Wonderland ” with my first-grade daughter. As the name suggests, it was an event to learn about and experience parasports. I thought it was a bit of a bold name to call it a “wonderland” for a mere sports event.

As soon as we passed through the gate, we let out a loud cry of excitement. People, people, people, as far as the eye could see. The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium was filled with visitors jostling and pushing against one another. I had underestimated it. I’m sorry. It was definitely a wonderland. My daughter and I instantly got into Alice-like excitement. We ran down to the floor.

There was a stage set up at the venue, and the celebrities, comedians, and YouTubers we often see on TV were appearing. All of them were popular with children. And it was free. This was not only good for the children, but also for the adults who accompanied them. No, I’m grateful. That was the stage show that my daughter and I were looking forward to.

But as soon as we arrived in front of the stage, someone yelled, “If it’s like this, I’m not coming!” It was a still photographer who had been there for an interview. He was angry at the event staff. It had been a while since I’d heard such an adult yell, so uncaring. It seemed that there were no seats prepared for reporters in the audience area. Another photographer had made the same complaint. “We can’t take stills if there’s no press area,” he said. (Oh no. Things are getting rough.) All I could do was watch from a distance. “Stop, stop, stop.” The staff member looked at a loss as he tried to think of what to do.

Indeed, there were no press seats in the seating area. And to make matters worse, all the chairs were already taken. Everyone was reserving spots. All the seats were taken up with their bags. There was no room for adjustment. It was a scene that could only be seen at a safe event where there was no need to worry about theft. The flyers handed out at the gate said that reserving spots was prohibited, and the announcements in the venue also called for people to follow the rules. But no one paid any attention to that. The staff had two choices: to leave them as they were, or to remove them all. Of course, they had no choice but to leave them as they were. Well, parents who care about their children are like that everywhere. It was expected. Especially since there are many people and children here who have disabilities and find it difficult to rush or stand in line. No need to be so formal. My parents and I decided to stand at the back of the seating area. There was no sign of no entry. It was like a parent watching at a school visit.

And finally, the stage began. The two main presenters began their talk with smiles on their faces. Their friendly manner of speaking was 100% likable. Their honest thoughts about the appeal of parasports, rather than using standard phrases, made them feel close to each other. Naturally, all the seats were taken. Not only that, but there were also standing-room only seats on both sides, crammed in tightly. Of course, the back of the seats were just like a packed train. There were many children, and everyone’s eyes were sparkling with the expression, “I know that person,” or “I’ve seen them before.”

It was at that moment. “This is the press area. Please stand on either side over there,” he said with a smile. The staff member went around the back of the seats and started to push out the parents and children who were standing. Even though he knew that there was no more space over there. In other words, “move.” He said “move” with a smile. His intention was to make up for the lack of space in the press area by moving people out of the way.

My daughter and I were also urged to go over there. The stench of people who try to take advantage of our understanding was irritating. “Huh? You can see that there is no more space over there, right?” I said. “We’re here because everyone else had reserved the space when we got here earlier.” I couldn’t hold it in. “You’re not allowed to reserve a spot, right? People who break the rules can sit and we have to move. It’s not fair, is it?” Ah, I can’t stop. “I’m sorry. This is an interview area.” “It doesn’t say that. Where does it say that?” I cut off the end of the excuse and cut it off. I can’t stand the staff’s negligence and rudeness. They make children worry about adult matters and do their job. Do these people really have compulsory education?

Well, let me explain a little bit here. First of all, if you are going to let the press in at an event like this, you need to secure a steal area. And it is the most basic of PR basics to have them in the front row of the seating area. This is not like a VIP seat to give preferential treatment to the media, but it is an ironclad rule to ensure that the press can easily see and move around safely, while ensuring the minimum level of ease of reporting. Moreover. I will repeat, this is an event that many people with disabilities and children will come to. In a musical chairs format, where the first person to line up the chairs wins, someone will always lose out. Rules made from the perspective of the majority alone will definitely fail. Because that is what disability is. It is what is called a social model. I have to say that the management also lacked understanding of the customers.

If they made a mistake in zoning the press seats and neglected to predict the behavior of the customers. I won’t say, “Given the purpose of the event, we should prioritize the customers!” I want to say it, but I’ll hold back. Because from the management’s point of view, attracting interviews is important, and the media are equally important customers. So, what should the next response be considered? It becomes, “How many media people should be flexible?” As far as I can see, there were four still photographers at the time. Of the more than 100 customers, only four people should be able to take pictures freely. In other words, there is no need to exclude all customers from the rear seating area, and it would be enough if they could just say, “We’re going to have a camera in for a bit. Please cooperate,” and give way to each other a few steps to the left and right. Especially since it’s standing room only. No one would say no. However, after the staff made a mistake, they abandoned their tact and automatically sent the family away.

(Oh, they’re in a panic) I realized this by the staff’s emotionless smiles. There’s no point in pushing them into a corner here. They are the ones being pushed into a corner, after all.

So I looked towards the stage. The best position to take stills is one facing the center of the stage, the so-called Omukau position. In baseball stadium terms, it’s like the back screen. I don’t know why I used the baseball stadium analogy. And there are four photographers. In other words, we only need a width of four seats. Calculating from the width of the stage, the golden area is behind the central four rows of the audience. If we leave that space open, photographers and standing spectators can coexist.

“Probably. In terms of the viewing angle, if we just open up these four rows, it will be fine.”

I quietly told the staff member and moved my daughter and I to the right a few steps. We secured a spot where we could see the stage, and called the other child, who was stretching out on his tiptoes, over to stand next to my daughter. There should have been enough distance between us and the photographer. The staff member said with a big sales smile, “Thank you for your feedback!” Feedback? I was impressed with his choice of words. Maybe he was trying to be mean. Maybe he was trying to be mean.

At first, my daughter said, “The cheaters are cheating,” as if she had fallen off the horse, but she was able to enjoy dancing with Yoshio-san. The cameraman seemed to be doing his job without any problems. For now, the problem is solved.

But. I didn’t feel like going near the stage show that was scheduled after that. I was also annoyed that the wheelchair area seemed to be pushed to both sides instead of directly in front. The back seats where we were pushed out were getting more and more people with each passing show. Maybe the operation has improved. My daughter was dancing away from the stage, looking at the venue screen.

Dialogue turns into possibilities precisely because it is parasports

Was my complaint unreasonable? Perhaps I was smug because I was an outsider. While I regret my anger, I also have the same parental feelings as the parents who were reserving spots. I don’t want children to remember that rule breakers have an advantage. This is especially true for parasports events. Moreover, parasports will likely gain more recognition and increase their presence as sports entertainment. The number of players, fans, and supporters will increase, and I hope that this will happen. However, if this happens, there will likely be more incidents like the one I experienced. Is that really okay? This is what the organizers of parasports events say.

But again. I don’t like the idea of ​​getting all mad and saying “Follow the rules!” The good thing about the Showa-era athletics is that they strictly follow the rules. What’s bad is that they don’t question the rules. I hate the old-fashioned way sports are. If records are meant to be broken, the rules are meant to be questioned. I think there needs to be room for dialogue like, “Well, what should we do?”. To skillfully question and improve the rules. This is the essence of new sports, not traditional sports. With parasports, we should be able to elevate dialogue to possibilities. Because. Some people have an advantage. Some people have a disadvantage. How can we make that a level playing field and have fun playing together? That’s because parasports have accumulated wisdom and ingenuity. We should be able to improve it by communicating with each other.

Since parasports still have a DIY spirit, we should stop the old-fashioned, closed management where decisions are made by a select few like in the Olympics. I believe the solution lies in dialogue.

That being said, it was fun at “BEYOND STADIUM 2023 Parasports Wonderland.”

However, the event was very fun, full of discoveries and excitement. It was like our body, mind, and heart were all updated. We experienced about 9-10 sports and programs. No, maybe more. There were attractions like a festival or a game center, and my daughter kept asking for more. I felt like I was having deja vu as I waited in line, and I started to feel faint, so I stopped counting halfway through. The goalball experience was particularly memorable.

My daughter was shocked when she caught the goalball with both hands. “It’s heavy. Is this a ball?” Yes. A goalball ball is heavy. It weighs 1.25kg, twice the weight of a basketball. And it’s big. It’s even bigger than her own head. To a first-grader, a ball is something to throw or kick. But the presence of this ball far exceeded her expectations. It was the moment her common sense was turned upside down.

And I told my daughter, “When this game starts, you stop the ball with your body. You’ll be blindfolded.” “What! That’s scary!” “It’ll come flying at your face or your stomach.” “No. I definitely don’t want to do that.” I wasn’t telling her to do it. It’s fun to watch. There are ball games that are so hard that you could say it’s a ball-to-ball match. My daughter’s common sense was turned upside down again. For now, let’s leave aside the fact that if you flip it over twice, it’s back to the front.

Next up was the prosthetic limb experience.

I also tried it with the adult equipment. I thought I would be able to become a bouncy spring human, but it was a disaster. First of all, it was hard. It probably depends on the tuning of the plates, but I didn’t feel much elasticity. So I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t even stand without support, and I was like, “Oops!” right away. It was like walking on stilts that I had let go of. How much training would it take to use this as legs, generate elasticity, and turn it into running and jumping power?

My daughter was also unable to walk, and didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts about it. But there’s no need to understand everything on the spot. The next time you watch a para-athletics event, or see someone with a prosthetic leg on the street, you’ll have a completely different perspective than before. Such foreshadowing experiences are also one of the best parts of Parasport events. Other activities include a “blindfolded treasure hunt” by Go Beyond, a student club from Sophia University, a white cane experience, and training based on the movements of parasports, known as Training Para-Tre.

“If it’s this much like a game, other kids could have come and played with it,” I thought, regretting not inviting my daughter’s friends. Even kids who aren’t interested in parasports will definitely get hooked on this event.

Parasports events are definitely evolving. They are becoming more attractive and exciting. I think that’s a wonderful thing. So, if there’s a next time, I’ll take my daughter’s friends. I hope that by then the organization will have improved a little.