Olympics
TSUNAMI VICTIM TO FEATURE IN TOKYO 2020 TORCH RELAY
BY LIAM MORGAN
A father, whose 12-year-old daughter was killed in the 2011 Japan tsunami, will participate in the Torch Relay for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Noriyuki Suzuki, who lost daughter Mai in the tsunami triggered by the earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku, told Kyodo News he had been chosen as one of the Torchbearers.
The Torch Relay for the Olympics is due to begin in Fukushima, struck by one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit Japan when an earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster in 2011, on March 19.
Around 16,000 people lost their lives and Tokyo 2020 organisers, and the International Olympic Committee, are attempting to use the Games to aid the recovery of the region.
Mai Suzuki was in the sixth grade at Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.
She is among the 74 pupils from the school to have been confirmed dead or missing following the tsunami.
“I’m really glad (to be selected),” Suzuki said.
“I was worried that I might not be chosen.
“I’m hoping the spirits of all the children who died, not just Mai’s, will join me when I run.”
Over half of the 10,000 Torchbearers during the Relay, which will travel across Japan before arriving in Tokyo two weeks before the Opening Ceremony on July 24, are expected to be chosen from the general public.
The list of Torchbearers will be announced after confirmation by the relevant authorities.
Japan rugby captain Michael Leitch, sumo grand champion Hakuho and Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara are among the high-profile figures set to carry the Torch.
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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