20,000 sign online petition for flight upgrade for Nadeshiko Japan

Total disgrace. If anything the men should have to sit in pre eco. The woman's team are the world champions and there still being treated like second class citizens. Japan seriously needs to cut out the blatent sexism.

Well done ladies! Bravo!!! I'll buy what ever future product you endorse!!

“The problem is when we go back there will probably not be enough business seats available. If that’s the case we will be in premium again.”

Why not just switching the seats around? let the men go back in economy...

Petition is cheap. Why don't they put their money where their mouths area and submit donations?

Donations for what? Donations shouldn't have to pay for the women's upgrade, they've earned it with their play the past few years.

They should definitely be treated equally -- with the women getting first-class or the men being sent back to join the ladies in economy. While the celebrity status the women have garnered might ensure the former, practicality should ensure the latter -- the women simply do not get paid, have the support, or the commercial endorsements that men's soccer does, hence part of the original 'difference' in seating.

Now, here's hoping that from here on in the women DO get paid more, DO get more support, and DO get more commercial endorsements. So once again, if it's an issue of money then at the very least put the men back with the women.

I totally agree that they should be treated equally, if not better. They played with more passion, they made to the finals. They lost with honor to a #1 team, they fought to the end. Silver, in their case, means Gold, given that most of them are amateurs and have other job, besides being mom and wife. Good job girls!

They certainly have earned it.

If there are not enough seats: Ladies first!

People will start a petition about anything!

As others have said, simply switch tickets with the boys for the return flight. Problem solved.

What WiliB said.

Im totally agree, these girls have earned an award for effort and that we (even not japanese people) are proud of the effort that these beautiful girls have done in the camp; that award could be to come back in business seats or what ever; but it is ridiculios and ofensive the way some occidental people not mind their own business and criticize what japanese do or leave to do. There are many reasons to understand why it can happen and all of them can be valid.

For example, iif a man play football in a professional way, always fly in business seats and besides generate a lot of money because his position in the professional major league (fame, etc), you cant send him in economy class; in other hand a girl that is participating in a tournment like an amateur or college league sportwoman, that doesnt generate money and where girls are not used to luxuries, you could opt to send her in a economy class without problems. Besides japanese are strict with the male or female rols, in some things men have preference, but in other kind of things women have it. Japanese have clear that the rol of women is become excelents wifes, mothers and housewifes, and surely they invest a lot in girls in this direction and as it doesnt have nothing to do with what is complained here, it is not a problem of lack of invest in girls, only of the way of invest it.

Personally I love the "sexism" when it is well understood, like in Japan or other conservative societies, and i m sick of these ideologies about equality of men and women and tired of the tend of feminists to quarrel for anything. Im sure that this ideology have damage a lot the occidental society. Really, if you want so much equality send the women to compete with men and see what they can do.

Im totally agree, these girls have earned an award for effort and that we (even not japanese people) are proud of the effort that these beautiful girls have done in the camp; that award could be to come back in business seats or what ever; but it is ridiculios and ofensive the way some occidental people not mind their own business and criticize what japanese do or leave to do. There are many reasons to understand why it can happen and all of them can be valid.

For example, iif a man play football in a professional way, always fly in business seats and besides generate a lot of money because his position in the professional major league (fame, etc), you cant send him in economy class; in other hand a girl that is participating in a tournment like an amateur or college league sportwoman, that doesnt generate money and where girls are not used to luxuries, you could opt to send her in a economy class without problems. Besides japanese are strict with the male or female rols, in some things men have preference, but in other kind of things women have it. Japanese have clear that the rol of women is become excelents wifes, mothers and housewifes, and surely they invest a lot in girls in this direction and as it doesnt have nothing to do with what is complained here, it is not a problem of lack of interest or invest in girls, the girls have their spaces where have their advantages, but in other contexts.

Personally I love the "sexism" when it is well understood, like in Japan or other conservative societies, and i m sick of these ideologies about equality of men and women and tired of the tend of feminists to quarrel for anything. Im sure that this ideology have damage a lot the occidental society. Really, if you want so much equality send the women to compete with men and see what they can do.

Brknarm: "Donations for what? Donations shouldn't have to pay for the women's upgrade, they've earned it with their play the past few years."

Fine. But the money has to come from somewhere. Where do you expect they suddenly pull the extra 10s of millions of yen?

The Japan Olympic committee will have already dividied up their pool to each sport. Each sport national associations will use part of their annual membership fees toward supporting those athletesand officials representing them internationally, but that money is also limited and pre-spent.

New sponsors need to be attracted, and this public campaign is just the kind of thing to get their attention.

(In the meantime, if they are on the same flight or flying the same day, it would be an impressive gesture for the boys to give up their seats, for their superiors.

Here's the logical thing to do, and the first thing I would do as a male: give up my seat to the ladies. Without hesitation.

♪It's a man's world♫ Really? It hasn't been that way since James Brown sang that song. Just lingering biases. The glass ceiling seems shatterproof in Japan. Where are the sponsors? Peach or another new discount airline exec., should have offered to send a company jet to pick all up, first class. Providing they have the route. -Petition organizers Sohko Fujimoto and Reina Komiya said the Japan Football Association had promised a business-class return flight would be considered for the women’s team if they “bring a medal home.”- This is truly not the Olympic spirit that I know! Why dangle a carrot in front the ladies teamBe that the case, the logistics for upgrades should have been set in motion when the young ladies qualified higher than the men. Are we in 2012?

ojiiu812badboy, the day the girls win against men you ll be able to say that the girls are higher qualified.

the honorable thing would be for the men to offer up their seats to the ladies, which after all this uproar they probably will. Orl just come back on seperate flights.