Japan opened its Olympic House in Paris with an exhibition highlighting how the previous games in Tokyo had a lasting impact on the ongoing Paris Olympics.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Team Japan House has opened in central Paris for the 2024 Summer Games, featuring an exhibition that explores the influence of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics on the current Paris Games. The house will serve as a venue for the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) to hold press conferences and promote Japanese culture to the public.
One notable example of this influence is the cardboard beds for athletes, which first appeared in Tokyo three years ago and were designed by a Japanese company called Airweave.
During the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, athletes dubbed the beds as "anti-sex," playing on a rumour that the beds were designed to prevent athletes from engaging in intimate activities in the Olympic Village.
But Olympic organisers insist the beds' true focus is sustainability.
The beds are customisable and the firmness can be adjusted by flipping over the mattress, explained Ryuheita Suita, general manager of Airweave.
The Japanese company also highlighted an AI body scanner that can advise athletes on what firmness to choose according to their body type.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic) also inspired Paris authorities on how to deal with safety.
"The Tokyo Olympics took place in the middle of COVID-19, so we had to work on health safety rather than security. The Paris Olympic Games are being organised with a particular focus on physical security," said Yuko Mitsuya, Interim President of the Japanese Olympic Committee.
"Today, there's a mix, where a lot of effort has been put into health safety and security. If we can advise French authorities in this area, we'd be delighted," she said in an interview with Euronews.
Paris beefed up its security during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. More than 50,000 police and military officers, 1,800 foreign personnel, and over 15,000 private security guards are deployed to assure the safety of the host venues and cities around France.
The different stands at the Team Japan House also showcase different aspects of Japanese culture such as calligraphy and origami workshops.
Visitors can play table tennis as well as some basketball - which Japan has excelled during previous sporting events.
"Japan has a lot of richness: from its culture to its sports and the point of this exhibition is to showcase this. All the stands here are to promote Japan as a top tourist destination for France," said Hatsume Nagai, the Director General of the Japan National Tourism Office.
In 2025, the Japanese city of Osaka will hold the much-awaited World Expo showcasing technology and innovation from countries around the world.
More than 400 Japanese athletes are expected to compete in the Paris Olympics – the largest delegation from the Asian continent, just ahead of China.
