Tokyo 2020 celebrates the arrival of the Olympic rings
The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) has celebrated six months to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. As the Games draw closer, excitement is building throughout the city, and the illumination of the Olympic rings in Odaiba today is just the latest addition to the growing Olympic atmosphere.
Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Masa Takaya commented, “With the Olympic year finally here, everything is coming together. We’ve spent the last seven years working toward this, and now with just six months to go we’re excited to see the pieces falling into place. From venues to volunteers to ticketing, preparations are exactly where we want them to be at the six-month mark.”
As the Olympic Rings are unveiled in Odaiba, key indicators show preparations for a successful
Games are on schedule. To mark the six-month milestone, Tokyo 2020 announced the latest updates to key facts and figures on the progress being made towards a successful Tokyo 2020 Games.
Tokyo 2020 Venues
A total of 43 venues—eight new permanent venues, 25 existing sites and 10 temporary venues—will be used at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. All but one of the new permanent venues are already complete and the overall preparation of all venues is progressing on schedule. Last month, the new Olympic Stadium – a state-of-the-art venue that will serve generations of athletes and spectators to come – was officially opened to the public and on New Year’s Day hosted its first official sporting competition.
After the Games have ended, the Village Plaza, constructed completely from timber donated from 63 local municipalities in all 47 prefectures, will be dismantled and the timber returned to the donor municipalities to be reused in local projects, connecting communities throughout Japan to the legacy of the Tokyo Games.
Olympic Ticketing
Over 8.2 million people In Japan have registered so far for a Tokyo 2020 ID. At the close of the second phase of ticket sales, a total of 4.48 million tickets had been purchased by the general public in Japan. There will be one final round of sales worldwide on a first-come, first-serve basis, to take place this spring. People living outside of Japan are able to purchase tickets through Authorised Ticket Resellers
(ATRs) in their home countries. ATRs are Tokyo 2020-approved sales channels outside of Japan appointed by National Olympic Committees with the exclusive right to sell Games tickets in their respective countries and regions. Overseas ticket sales commenced on 20 June 2019. The sales launch date in each territory may vary depending on each ATR’s sales plans and schedules.
Find the list of ATRs here.
Tokyo 2020 Participation Programme
Events embodying and supporting the vision of the Tokyo 2020 Games are being held nationwide. These encompass eight categories, and organisers are authorised to display one of two specially devised logos at their events. 138,000 initiatives and activities have already been approved as part of the Tokyo 2020 Official Programme or the Tokyo 2020 Support Programme. The number of participants in approved activities has reached more than 98 million.
Ongoing events include the Tokyo 2020 Open Innovation Challenge, a global contest encouraging developers to build innovative apps that will enhance and reinvent spectators' experience of watching urbans sports. The final screening of entries will take place on February 22.
A successful Volunteer Programme
Approximately 80,000 people in Japan and overseas have been initially selected to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Volunteer Programme, and trainings have begun throughout Japan. A total of 204,680 people applied in Japan and worldwide, a level of interest that indicates people everywhere have high expectations for these Games.
Social media Tokyo 2020 has a total of more than 7 million social media followers across its official Facebook, Instagram, LINE, Twitter and YouTube accounts. A Weibo site and Douyin account (@tokyo2020cn) have been launched for Chinese viewers.
Marketing Partners
- The total number of Tokyo 2020 Olympic domestic partners has reached 65, including 15 Gold Partners, 32 Official Partners and 19 Official Supporters, in addition to the 14 Worldwide Olympic Partners.
- Four companies are acting as Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners, the highest number ever.
Athletes’ beds made almost entirely of renewable materials
All 26,000 beds to be used in the Athlete’s Village will - for the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history - be made almost entirely of renewable materials. Mattresses have been specifically designed to improve sleeping quality and comfort and frames are made of high resistance lightweight cardboard. The cardboard frames are extremely durable, lightweight, fire tested and waterproof. Following the Olympic Games, they are to be recycled into paper products, combining state of the art innovation with ecological consciousness.
Succesful Test Events
Tokyo 2020 has been running test events since September 2018, held for the most part in three waves. The first wave focused on outdoor sports with events being held between June and September 2019. The second wave incorporates indoor sports and is being held from October 2019 to January 2020. The third wave will take place between February and May 2020. Overall, 56 test events will take place by May 2020, some during scheduled domestic and international sporting events taking place in Japan during the build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Games and others comprising dedicated Olympic and Paralympic test events organised by Tokyo 2020 under the name of “READY STEADY TOKYO”
You can find details of “READY STEADY TOKYO” events here.