Local Federation Takes Case of Osaka JHS Students Barred from Junior Olympics to Arbitration as Governor Yoshimura Steps In
According to OJHSAA officials, their staff member in charge of registering the Osaka team for the Junior Olympics mistakenly thought the deadline for entries was Sept. 28, not the actual deadline of 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 24. The staff member realized the mistake at around 5:50 p.m. on the 24th and attempted to log in to the JAAF entry system and register the Osaka team, but was unable to complete the entry process.
The OJHSAA contacted the JAAF, who organize the JOC to explain the situation. The JAAF checked its entry system login records and found that the OJHSAA had logged in at 5:59 p.m., one minute before the deadline, and that because the deadline passed while entry information was being input the system would not allow the entries to be finalized.
The JAAF refused to take any action or make any exceptions, maintaining its strict policy of never accepting late registrations for any reason whatsoever. A JAAF spokesperson said that making an exception would compromise its fairness as it would result in Osaka being treated differently from other athletes whose entries were denied. OJHSAA officials visited JAAF offices in-person but were flatly rejected. In response the OJHSAA has filed an action with the Japan Sports Arbitration Agency seeking to have the JAAF's decision overturned and the children being allowed to compete.
Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura has also become involved in the situation, issuing a request to the JAAF to accept the students to the Junior Olympics. The JAAF rejected his appeal. Following that rejection, Governor Yoshimura commented on the situation during an interview on Oct. 5, saying, "Given that these children are entirely blameless here, I really wish that they were given the opportunity to take part."
Governor Yoshimura said that the Osaka Prefectural Government had filed a formal request in the governor's name to the JAAF urging them to reconsider. "These junior high school students have trained extremely hard and are in peak form to compete nationally. I honestly want to help give them that chance. The mistake with the applications was made by the OJHSAA. The children have no responsibility for the situation. When I consider whether it is right to take away their right to compete because of that, I feel strongly that it is not, and that they should be allowed to participate. Some people might criticize that as too lenient, but that is my genuine feeling."
Meanwhile, the JAAF posted a document on its website titled "Regarding the Issue of Registration for Prefectural Representative Events at the 57th JOC Junior Olympics U16 Track and Field Championships." Although the document did not specifically name the OJHSAA, it explained the criteria for determining eligibility to compete in cases where registration errors have occurred. "This Federation does not allow participation in this competition, or any other competition organized by the Federation, if application procedures are not completed within the designated application period. We decline all requests for exceptions or special measures in such cases. Giving special treatment in this case would create inequality in how we treated other similar cases, which would create serious issues regarding fairness. As a results, it is our decision not to allow participation in this tournament by the persons in question."
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translated and edited by Brett Larner
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