Thank You Tokyo! event to recognise those behind Tokyo 2020’s success

Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) and the Japanese Olympic Committee, the event aims to revive the excitement of the Games and thank the people of Tokyo and Japan for making them a success.

Sports initiations, open to the public and taking place in the National Stadium alongside the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon, hosted by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, will include a variety of both traditional and new Olympic sports. Members of the public will be invited to try sport climbing, basketball, skateboarding, rugby, athletics and breaking – a sport that will make its Olympic debut at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Japanese and international athletes will perform at the event, which will also feature displays of Tokyo 2020 medals and podiums, as well as the popular Olympic and Paralympic mascots, Miraitowa and Someity.

Reflecting the wide-ranging socio-cultural impact of the Olympic Games, there will also be cultural activities on offer. LGBTQ Olympian and IOC Young Leader Javier Raya will promote the work of Tokyo Pride House – a Tokyo 2020 project that continues to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues in Japan – and Paralympian and artist Gregory Burns will showcase his art with a live painting performance and traditional Japanese Noren curtains.

A commemorative ceremony – open to the winners of a ticketing lottery, due to limited capacity – will then take place in the National Stadium, featuring sports demonstrations in athletics, gymnastics and breaking, as well as friendly matches between rugby sevens male and female teams from Japan and Fiji.

Athletes participating in the events will include international Olympians such as Molly Seidel (USA, Tokyo 2020 bronze, marathon), Bashir Abdi (Belgium, Tokyo 2020 bronze, marathon), Nicola Olyslagers (née McDermott – Australia, Tokyo 2020 silver, high jump), Neeraj Chopra (India, Tokyo 2020 gold, javelin) and Sydney McLaughlin (USA, Tokyo 2020 gold, 400m hurdles), as well as Japanese athletes including Haruka Kitaguchi (javelin), Nozomi Tanaka (1,500m), Naoto Tobe (high jump) and Buenos Aires 2018 breaking gold and bronze medallists Ram and Shigekix.

The day before the event, on 15 October, the TMG will hold a ceremony marking the reinstallation of the Olympic cauldron, which was based on the Ariake side of the Yume-no-Ohashi Bridge during the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Tokyo 2020 organisers faced unprecedented challenges following the historic postponement of the Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One year on, these Games are remembered for promoting hope, solidarity and peace, having reached a global broadcast audience of more than three billion people.

Tokyo 2020 helped boost weekly physical activity among Tokyo residents, which increased from 39 per cent in 2007 to 69 per cent in 2021, according to the TMG. Seven of the eight purpose-built Tokyo 2020 venues are already welcoming members of the public, helping Tokyo citizens stay active and attracting local and international sports events. Around 83,000 volunteers participated in the Tokyo 2020 Games despite the one-year postponement. According to the TMG, the majority of them intend to continue volunteering, boosting the volunteering culture in Japan.

In an effort to minimise the impact on the climate, Tokyo 2020 prioritised the use of existing and temporary venues and implemented a number of CO₂ reduction measures, including the use of renewable energy and fuel-efficient vehicles. The hydrogen-powered Olympic Village is being converted into a complex of flats, a school, shops and other facilities. The complex, which will include seaside parks and other green spaces, will serve as a showcase for an environmentally friendly, hi-tech urban lifestyle.