Japan's women footballers irked by Olympic flight seating

[seabeyond]

The women, strong contenders for gold, flew premium economy to Paris. The men are not expected to win a medal. "I guess it should have been the other way around," star player Homare Sawa told Japanese media. "Even just in terms of age, we are senior," she jokingly said after arriving in Paris on Monday.

This is the fourth time that Sawa, 33, is taking part in the Olympics. She is the oldest Japanese player to taking part in the football in London. She captained the Japanese women's team, which received a hero's welcome when it returned home after victory over the US in the World Cup in July 2011.

Japan's Olympic Committee has given most of their athletes economy class seats, with a few exceptions.

The Japan Football Association has been funding male footballers to fly business class since 1996. The women's plane tickets had also been upgraded, but only to premium economy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18882091?ocid=us_news_syndication_pulse&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

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this is japan. not some third world, religious country. maybe i am naive, but, i am not seeing that we would be so obviously, in your face sexist, here in the u.s. i mean, i really do not see it. what do you think. i am curious. do you think we would ever have a situation in an high profile situation like this with obvious sexism? on this one, i really see we are aware and better than this.

[d_r]

1. what? Japan sexist? Amazing.

Sarcasm aside, seating positions have meaning in Japanese culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamiza

[seabeyond]

2. ha.... lol. yes. i know the misogyny in that country, BUT....

i dunno, the olympics? i see it in other areas of the culture, but olympics? lol.

Kamiza

thanks for this. it does put it into perspective and i better understand. that was interesting.