Promoting DEI through Hearing Impairment and Sports Cheering: Former Deaflympics Japan Representative and Double Minority Advocate Explains Historical Context of Sign Cheers and Tournaments. Live Viewing & Minority Understanding Event Held.

Pride House Tokyo, an NPO aiming to raise awareness and realize an inclusive society, conducted various events in fiscal year 2025 to promote DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in the field of sports. During the Deaflympics in November, the organization held a cheering event that combined live match viewing with learning about the historical background of the tournament and "sign cheers," allowing participants to enjoy the event while deepening their understanding of minorities, all with the goal of creating a tournament where everyone can cheer safely and securely.

With the hosting of the "Tokyo Deaflympics," an international sports competition for the hearing impaired, "sign cheers" based on sign language have gained attention as a form of "visible cheering." Meanwhile, slander and discrimination against athletes have become a serious issue in recent years. In particular, sexual minorities such as LGBTQ+ individuals are often hurt by "microaggressions"—unconscious actions that, while not necessarily malicious, can hurt or make others feel uncomfortable. Consequently, the psychological safety of both those cheering and those being cheered for has become increasingly important.

Against this backdrop, an event was held on Saturday, November 15, 2025, to coincide with the Deaflympics women's soccer match between Japan and the USA, allowing attendees to enjoy live viewing while simultaneously learning about minority inclusion. The event was built on the concept of creating "a single safe and secure space" where all diverse people, including the LGBTQ+ community, can connect through the power of sports. The guest speaker was Minato Sato, an "ally athlete" who conducts awareness activities in the sports world. Sato is a double-minority individual who publicly identifies as LGBTQ+ and competed in three consecutive Deaflympics as a member of the Japanese national deaf track and field team starting in high school.

Specifically, the lecture covered the historical background of the tournament, methods of communication during matches such as the "sign cheers"* published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Sports Tokyo Information, personal reflections on competing, and sign language expressions that should be avoided. Sato also shared their personal journey, explaining that while they were assigned female at birth and now live as an openly transgender man, they competed in the women's category in the past without undergoing hormone therapy to avoid slander and defamation. "In sports, men and women are clearly separated, but that results in some people being unable to participate. I want people not to look away from that reality," Sato commented.

(*Reference: TOKYO Information "Sign Cheers" - A New Cheering Style for Deaf Athletes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSXOH9BUEDk)

Pride House will continue to work toward promoting diversity in the sports world and realizing an inclusive society.

◆ Speaker Profile: Minato Sato

Born in 1995, graduate of Yokohama National University. Has been active as a member of the Japanese national deaf track and field team since their third year of high school. Currently lives a life centered on athletics through athlete recruitment. Also publicly identifies as LGBTQ and conducts lecture activities as a double-minority advocate. 2013: 22nd Deaflympics Silver Medalist; 2017: 23rd Deaflympics participant; 2022: 24th Deaflympics 5th place.