Joint press conference urges Tokyo 2020 Olympics to serve sustainable fish

• Sustain’s Sustainable Fish Cities campaign and Seafood Legacy Japan host joint press conference in Tokyo
• Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee urged to realise legacy opportunity
• Adhering to London 2012 Olympic standards, caterers that serve 0.7 billion meals per year now serve only demonstrably sustainable fish

On Wednesday 15 February, Sustainable Fish Cities and Seafood Legacy Japan co-hosted an emergency press conference at The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo. Both organisations are concerned about proposals that would allow unsustainable and even endangered species of fish onto menus for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The joint press conference was attended by international journalists and individuals and covered in the Japanese press. Attendees were presented with statements from businesses, marine conservation organisations and individuals that advised the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games organisers, urging the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (TOCOG) to adopt strong standards for sustainable fish.
 
TOCOG’s final standards for the 2020 Games are due shortly, and will set out what food can and can’t be served to over 2 million visitors, athletes, staff and the media. For London 2012 and Rio 2016, the standards included strict criteria for sustainable fish. The draft standards for the Tokyo Games seen so far appear to be a significant step backwards; containing only very weak references to sustainable fish.
 
The Sustainable Fish Cites project began in London with the aim of getting 100% sustainable fish served at the London 2012 Games. In the run-up to and following the Games, sustainable fish policies were adopted by the London 2012 organisers (a world first), all UK hospitals, government offices and prisons, and thousands of schools, restaurants, sports venues and workplaces. These built a sustainable fish legacy from the Games that is still vibrant and effective to the present day.
 
Coordinator of Sustainable Fish Cities, Ruth Westcott (pictured, right), who has been central to spearheading the sustainable fish legacy from London 2012, believes that the standards set for the Games were critical: “The London 2012 Games proved that delicious, sustainably sourced seafood could be served on a large scale and developed the essential knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise in the industry. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place in a country famous worldwide for its exceptional traditional seafood recipes. What better way to celebrate this, and secure fish stocks for future Japanese children to enjoy, than by committing to serve only demonstrably sustainable fish."
 
Seafood Legacy Japan are hoping that the Tokyo 2020 Games can spark a shift in fish buying in Japan that will last long after the athletes and international journalists have gone home. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are one of the few peace-time opportunities to catalyse really significant shifts in consumer and business awareness and behaviours, in favour of healthy and sustainable food.