Photo/Illutration Kana Fujimoto, a medical intern at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on April 23 (Yusuke Saito)

A medical intern knows all too well about the COVID-19 variants surging around Japan, and how the health crisis could affect the holding of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

But Kana Fujimoto continues to prepare to volunteer at the event, mainly out of respect for the athletes.

Fujimoto, 25, was a track and field star in high school, and she understands the dedication and desire required just to be a part of the Olympic Games.

She was among around 300 volunteers at an Olympic test event for track and field competitions at the New National Stadium in the capital on May 9. She intends to volunteer for the actual track and field events during the Olympics.

During the test event, she was helping international judges and other staff members when she saw the women’s 800 meters from the stands.

“I felt the tension, exaltation and excitement of the athletes even though there were no spectators,” she said. “I want to watch the real competitions during the Olympics.”

Fujimoto has been working at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward since April 2020. She is originally from Shijonawate, Osaka Prefecture.

“I came to Tokyo from Osaka because I wanted to get involved in the Olympics as a doctor,” Fujimoto said.

When she was in her first year of high school, she placed third in the women’s 3,000 meters at an Osaka prefectural competition. Mizuki Matsuda, now a prominent marathoner, won that race.

Fujimoto had trained hard to reach the national competition. But the more she ran, the worse her times became.

Her slump continued through her university years. Her overtraining led to repeated injuries, including fatigue fractures.

At the same time, she noticed support from others during her tough times. When she ran alone at the schoolyard early every morning, a school janitor kept encouraging her, saying, “Kana, the Olympics are waiting for you.”

She received similar support when she trained at a stadium and at her part-time workplace.

After her chances of competing in the Olympics were gone, Fujimoto started considering supporting athletes during Tokyo Games because she had done volunteer work during her high school and Nara Medical University days. She gave first aid to athletes who had fallen down.

Fujimoto felt a heavy responsibility and thought that she “wanted to improve her judgment and take more appropriate action in emergency responses.”

As a medical student, she looked for a hospital employer in an area where she could get involved in the Tokyo Olympics. But after talking to a sports doctor, she realized that “it was difficult to work at the Games while she was still a medical intern.”

Still, she was determined to become an Olympic volunteer.

The National Center for Global Health and Medicine hired her as an initial medical intern. The hospital is located about 3 kilometers from the New National Stadium, raising Fujimoto’s hopes of being able to respond to sudden illnesses or injuries among Olympic athletes.

“I want to be useful as a volunteer and a doctor,” she said.

But she knows it may be difficult to hold the Olympics amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Novel coronavirus cases have surged around the nation, and other volunteers are asking, “Is it really possible to hold it?”

“The Olympics can be held only if COVID-19 cases slow down,” she said. “But I want to prepare for it thinking that it could be held, not that it could be canceled.”

Fujimoto always carries surgical thread in a pocket of her white coat. And she is practicing knot-tying to stitch up wounds during her free time at work or home.

She is learning in the same manner as when she trained every morning as a track and field athlete.

Even if the Olympics are not held, she said, her preparations will help in her goal of becoming a doctor who stays side by side with patients to provide hope. She also plans to support female athletes.

Related News