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The local municipalities that will participate in the Olympic Torch Relay next year have been confirmed, Tokyo 2020 announced on Tuesday.
The torch relay, which will begin on March 25, will continue to visit Japan’s 47 prefectures, fulfilling the original plan before the Games were postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid widespread sentiment from local residents against moving forward with the postponed Games given the recent surge in coronavirus cases and skyrocketing costs related to the delay and health measures, organizers announced Tuesday that the relay the torch will continue.
“The relay will begin its long-awaited journey on March 25, 2021, from the J-Village National Training Center in Fukushima, and will travel through 859 municipalities in all 47 prefectures before arriving at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on 23 July. Tokyo 2020 announced in a statement.
The Tokyo Skytree, a famous landmark in Tokyo, has been lit in Sakura and gold, the colors of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch, to mark the 100-day countdown to the start of the tour.
Organizers said the full relay route would be announced in February.
In an interview with AFP, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she does not see “any circumstances” in which the 2020 Olympics postponed due to viruses will be canceled.
“The Japanese public and the residents of Tokyo are watching the current conditions,” he said on Tuesday, referring to continued public skepticism. “We are preparing for the future.”
“The citizens of the world see the Tokyo Games as a symbol that humanity will have defeated the coronavirus, which will lead to the Beijing Winter Games and then to the Paris Games,” he said.
“I think we have to make Tokyo a success first, otherwise it will make a serious impact on Paris.”
(With contributions from agencies)
(Top Image: An overview shows the Tokyo Skytree lit in Sakura and gold, the colors of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch, to mark the 100-day countdown to the start of the Olympic torch relay, in Tokyo, on December 15, 2020. / CFP)
