Governor Koike Attends International Forum on Women in Sports

Governor Koike participated in an international forum on women in sports in Tokyo on September 13, alongside International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) President Hashimoto Seiko.

 

The event, titled “Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Forum,” was hosted by the JOC at the Japan Sport Olympic Square, home to the JOC headquarters, other sports organizations and the Japan Olympic Museum.

Noting that the 2025 World Athletics Championships had opened in Tokyo on the same day, Governor Koike said: “I hope that the Championships will be cheered on by many people in Tokyo, across the country and in the sports world, inspiring a wide range of emotions over nine days.”

She praised IOC President Coventry and JOC President Hashimoto for their contributions to the success of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, saying, “You both worked on the front lines during an exceptionally rare and difficult situation, as the Games was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

“Furthermore, gender equality was one of the core principles of the Tokyo 2020 Games,” she pointed out. “The two of you are the first female presidents of the IOC and the JOC, respectively. And you embody the diversity and inclusion that the 2020 Games aimed to achieve.”

“Having firmly inherited the legacy of the Games, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, for its part, is working to create a society where women can achieve self-fulfillment under the banner of ‘Women in Action,’” Governor Koike said.

“I want to join hands with you all to harness the excitement of the World Athletics Championships to build momentum for women’s empowerment,” she went on. “Nothing would make me happier than seeing the World Athletics Championships inspire more and more courage to people through sport, spark hope for the future and provide an opportunity to help children develop with the power of sport.”