All rights reserved) What does the torch’s design represent for you? (Photo: © 2021 – International Olympic Committee. A total of 10, 515 torchbearers took part in the relay. The Olympic Torch Relay, section 9 in Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.
A total of 10,515 torchbearers took part in the relay. The relay was planned around the concept “Hope lights our way,” reflecting the Olympic flame’s symbolism of hope and peace.įor 121 days, the torch travelled through the country’s 47 prefectures before arriving at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo for the opening ceremony on July 23. The Olympic Torch Relay began on March 25, 2021, in J-Village national football training facility in Naraha, Fukushima, one of a number of areas hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Following the postponement of the Games for a year because of the COVID pandemic, it was placed in the Olympic Museum in Tokyo. The Olympic flame first arrived in Japan in March 2020. My hope is that the torch relay will be a flame of hope that travels across Japan and just like the blooming of cherry blossoms connects people’s emotions. Like the powerful cherry blossoms drawn by the children, I designed the torch with the hope of showing the world the resilience of people living in these areas and the efforts they were making to recover from suffering.Įvery spring, everyone in Japan looks forward to the blooming of cherry blossoms that marks the beginning of the season and creates a sense of well-being and the hope. The inspiration for my design of the torch came in 2015, when I drew the “cherry blossom emblem” together with children in the disaster-affected areas. They inspire and carry the feelings of many millions of people around the world, says Tokujin Yoshioka. I am sure that people around the world could feel it as well. Japan has experienced many natural disasters and the earthquake made me realize once again the kindness and sincerity of the Japanese people and the overflowing spirit of compassion and willingness to help each other even in times of hardship. After Tokyo was elected as host city for the 2020 Olympic Games in 2013, I began thinking about how I could express my feelings for the people in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, to the world through my design. They inspire and carry the feelings of many millions of people around the world. (Photo: Courtesy of Tokujin Yoshioka) What inspired the torch’s design?
Yoshioka referring to the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. "What I have expressed through my design of the torch is the spiritual recovery of the people in the disaster-affected areas and for peace," says Mr. I designed the torch with the same energy and ambition as the athletes who take part in the Olympics. In 2013, when the decision was taken to hold the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, I began to think about what I could do with my design. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this historic project. What does it mean to you personally to have been able to contribute to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games? I believe that the value and beauty created by nature is a very important element for this. I have a desire to add something in my work that impresses, delights or entertains people. I like things that go beyond the concept of materials and transcend human senses. World-renowned contemporary Japanese artist and designer Tokujin Yoshioka, who designed the Olympic torch for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, unpacks the symbolism of his design and the message of hope it conveys. Each Olympic torch bears a unique design that represents the host country.
The Olympic torch relay, however, is a modern invention, first introduced in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. (Photo: © CNOSF/KMSP)Īn icon of the Olympic Games, the Olympic torch symbolizes hope and peace and reminds us of the ancient origins of the world’s greatest celebration of sport. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic cauldron to mark the formal opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
In late July, all eyes were on the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo when Japan’s top tennis player, Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron to mark the opening of the 2020 Olympic Games, which had been postponed for a year due to the COVID pandemic. Meet the designer of the Olympic torch for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Gamesīy Catherine Jewell, Information and Digital Outreach Division, WIPO and Tomomi Taguchi, WIPO Japan Office