Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Flame to be Displayed in Public next Month

The Olympic flame will go on display at the Japanese Olympic Museum from Sept. 1, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) announced recently.

The flame was last seen in Fukushima after the torch relay was cancelled following its arrival from Greece but before it could start on the planned tour of Japan after the decision to postpone the Games in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the Olympics postponed until 2021, organisers had been discussing how best to store and present the Olympic flame whilst in Japan.

They have chosen to display the flame at the JOC museum which is near the National Stadium purposely built for the Games.

To limit crowds gathering to view the flame there will be a reservation system with a designated date and time.

There will also be a one-way viewing route to avoid unnecessary contact between members of the public. The flame will be on display from Sept. 1 – Nov. 1.

Neither the JOC nor Tokyo 2020 organisers have said where the flame will be located after that.

…Centerpiece venue put through paces in debut track meet
Japan’s top athletes put Tokyo’s new Olympic stadium through its paces at a track meet Sunday, 23 August, 2020, one year ahead of the Games which have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The televised competition was held behind closed doors, with only athletes and a few hundred journalists and officials in attendance at the 60,000-seat facility, which is still undergoing construction work on its exterior.

High jumpers got the Seiko Golden Grand Prix meet underway as up-tempo music and the lively voices of stadium announcers filled the air.

The jumpers however had no spectators to ask for slow handclaps to find their rhythm as they sped down the runway.

Sprinters likewise rushed to the finish line but there were no cheers of excited fans and no collective sighs greeted the failed jumps of the pole vaulters.

A handful of male javelin throwers took matters into their own hands and offered slow claps in unison for each other as they took their turns.

The event was held as Japan takes cautious steps to reopen its economy, with professional baseball, football and sumo allowing limited number of fans since early July.

But the nation is also seeing a rebound in new infection figures, particularly in urban areas including Tokyo and Osaka.

Organizers have announced the Tokyo Games will take place from July to August next year but have yet to decide a number of details, including how many spectators will be allowed into venues.

Many athletes voiced frustration about the postponing of the Olympics and the difficulty of training during the pandemic, which closed many tracks and prevented group practices.

“I am turning 32 years old and, when thinking about my age, I was very, very disappointed (by the delay). I was performing particularly well so it made it even more difficult for me to change my mindset and move on,” said Yukari Ishizawa, who took second place in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase.

“Even when I was practicing, I could not tell what all this practice was leading to,” she said.

“I finally realized that I was fortunate to have the opportunity to push myself to take on this challenge” of trying to qualify for the Olympics, she added.