Olympics
HALF A MILLION JOSTLE FOR 10,000 SLOTS FOR TOKYO 2020 TORCH RELAY
BY DAN PALMER.
Tokyo 2020 organisers have announced that 535,717 applications have been made from members of the public hoping to carry the Olympic flame in the Torch Relay.
The figure was announced at the close of the registration process which opened in June.
Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nippon Life and NTT Communications – the four presenting partners for the Torch Relay – made the call for applications alongside taskforces from all 47 prefectures of Japan.
Hopefuls could submit up to five applications each through the sponsors or a prefecture where they have a personal or family connection.
Organisers will now whittle down the application to around 10,000 Torchbearers.
Successful applicants will only be selected once, with men, women and children of a wide range of nationalities, ages and abilities set to take part.
Successful applicants will start to be revealed in December.
Masa Takaya, a Tokyo 2020 spokesperson, said: “We are
extremely delighted by what this number indicates, the enthusiasm of those who
applied.
“Some prefectures received 200 times the number of applications as there were positions available.
“The population clearly wants to be involved and to play a role in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”
Tokyo 2020 claim that the Relay will provide an “unforgettable” experience for Torchbearers.
It will begin on March 26, 2020 with a poignant start in Fukushima, which was struck by one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit Japan in 2011.
A devastating earthquake and tsunami caused an accident at a nuclear power plant, and around 16,000 people lost their lives in the tragedy.
Both Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee are keen to use next year’s Olympics to aid the region’s recovery.
The Relay will be held under the motto “Hope Lights Our Way”.
In all it will pass through every prefecture in Japan over 121 days.
Around 98 per cent of Japan’s population are said to live within one hour’s travel of the proposed route.
The Olympic Torch will first be lit at Ancient Olympia on March 12 and will then spend a week in Greece.
It will arrive in Japan on March 20 and be displayed in the Tōhoku region, which was widely affected by the 2011 disaster.
-insidethegames
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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