At a “One Year to Go” event held yesterday at the Tokyo International Forum, which will be the venue for weightlifting and powerlifting during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, residents of Tokyo were invited to try out some of the Olympic sports for themselves. Throughout the day, Japanese athletes showcased their individual disciplines and encouraged visitors to become familiar with the various Olympic sports.
The event formed part of a programme called “Let’s 55”, “five-five” being pronounced “go go!” in Japanese and 55 also being the sum of the 33 Olympic and 22 Paralympic sports that will feature during the Tokyo 2020 Games. The programme also gives people the chance to meet Olympians and Paralympians eager to share the passion they have for their sport. Over the last two years, Tokyo 2020 and its sponsors have organised several “Let’s 55” events which have attracted tens of thousands of visitors.
In the morning, IOC President Thomas Bach practised fencing with local children before formally inviting the athletes of the world to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 during the One Year to Go Ceremony. “One year from now, Japan will make history,” he said. “It will be a wonderful and unique moment for our gracious Japanese hosts to show the world the best of Japan: your rich history and traditions, your cutting-edge innovation, your culture of hospitality, and of course, your love for sport.”
The opening show of the ceremony saw a combination of grace, tradition and innovation as Honami Tsuboi, Olympic gymnast at Beijing 2008, performed routines against a background illuminated with projection mapping created by Panasonic Corporation. One of Japan’s best-known musical duos, the Yoshida Brothers, accompanied her on the shamisen – a traditional three-stringed Japanese instrument.
The day wrapped up with the unveiling of a special countdown clock created by OMEGA, the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, in front of Tokyo station, used by more than one million people every day.
As night fell on the Japanese capital, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku and the city’s landmark Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree were specially illuminated to mark the milestone.
“Preparations are making excellent progress, thanks to the amazing work of the Organising Committee and with outstanding cooperation and support from the government and the business community. There is so much to look forward to. I have never seen an Olympic city as prepared as Tokyo with one year to go before the Olympic Games.”
