TARUMI Mai reflects on theTokyo 2020 Games while standing
in front of the Olympic Symbol at
the National Stadium in central
Tokyo. FILMED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE
JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

CREATING A SOCIETY
WHERE NO ONE FEELSALONE:

grandmother’s wish but also show
people the good side of Japan.”At the Olympic and Paralympic
Games Tokyo 2020, Tarumi
volunteered to assist withtaekwondo, among other sports.
At the Paralympics one of her
duties was to stand behind an
individual athlete and tie on hisor her protective gear. Because thegear was equipped with sensors,
tying the cords incorrectly could
mean defeat for the athlete. Despite
receiving strict instructions fromthe athletes, Tarumi had to tie
the cords according to the rules
while also maintaining politenesstoward such athletes so as to defuse
any tension. After one match, one
player told her with a smile, “It’s

A JAPANESE WOMAN’S JOURNEY AS AN OLYMPICVOLUNTEER“You should learn about hospitality. Someday, go and volunteer at the Olympics and bring the world some excitement!”
Such was the advice given to a Japanese woman by her grandmother, inspiring her to volunteer at the Olympic andParalympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Her wish is now to create “a society where we can extend a hand to
those in need through volunteering.”
TARUMI
Mai
iscorepresentative of a communityof sports volunteers known as
Hello Volunteer. Following her
grandmother’s advice—actually
volunteering at the Olympics—
she asked her company for time

off as early as five years in advanceso that she could lend a hand at
both the Olympic and Paralympic
Games Tokyo 2020. During themonth or so that those events took
place, Tarumi dedicated herself tobeing of assistance. Where did herenthusiasm for volunteering for
the Games come from?
She said, “I didn’t want toregret later not having taken theopportunity when I could have.
I knew that volunteering at theOlympics would not only fulfill myTarumi follows in the footsteps of SAWADA
Kentaro (right), fellow co-representative ofHello Volunteer, who served as a torchbearer at
the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Left: The taekwondo technology volunteers at the sport’s venue at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Gamesin 2021, who worked together to assist the athletes. Tarumi is shown seated on the far left of the frontrow.
Right: A diorama made by the organizing committee and volunteers such as Tarumi to spruce up thevenue and create a fun atmosphere for athletes and staff at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo
2020.

thanks to you I won!” Tarumi wasoverjoyed at the encouragement.
In addition to fulfilling her
assigned duties and always abiding
by the rulebook, Tarumi tried
to do anything she could do toimprove the athletes’ environment.
Her every effort, such as decorating
the athletes’ hallways with origami
garlands as a demonstration ofwelcome, was filled with the spiritof omotenashi, or hospitality.
She said, “Creativity is the key toomotenashi. Although there wereno spectators at the competitions
that time [because of COVID-19],
I wanted the athletes to have funexperiencing Japan.”By volunteering at the Olympics
and Paralympics, Tarumi has been
seeking the creation of a societythat encourages people to offer
each other assistance. She said,“One of the best things about
being a sports volunteer is thatwearing the volunteer uniform
naturally creates interactions withstrangers and leads to pleasantconversations. But I don’t think
you particularly need a uniform to

do that. Volunteering for sports issomething all of us can do to takethe first step toward building asociety that encourages people tolend a hand to each other—one inwhich no one feels isolated or left
uncared for. The Olympics is at thetop of the list of places where you
can do that.”
Tarumi hopes to extend her
ideals about mutual assistance—
which emerged at the Olympic andParalympic Games Tokyo 2020—
to the Olympic and Paralympic
Games Paris 2024, by serving as amedia volunteer for table tennis
there. In addition, she has beenchosen as an Olympic torchbearer
in France in July 2024.
Currently
raising
twochildren, Tarumi is also taking
distance-learning courses froma university with the goal of
becoming a member of theorganizing committee for theLA 2028 Summer Olympics andParalympics. She thus continues
her quest to shape a society inwhich everyone lends a helping
hand to each other.