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TODAY, IT’S ONE YEAR TO TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS

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It is exactly one year today to the beginning of the Games of XXXII Olympiad, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Everything seems ready as Tokyo prepares to host its second Olympics since that of 1964.

The organisers have used a staggered system to sell tickets, with first priority given to those within Japan. Later, sale of tickets for international attendants will commence.  

Residents in Japan were able to take part in a lottery system, with more than 7.5 million people registering.

The first phase of ticket allocations were announced in June, with 3.2 million tickets sold.

Overseas tickets are sold via authorised sellers, usually the national Olympic committees.

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Most of the events of the Games are expected to hold in the heart of Tokyo where two zones have been established.

The Tokyo Bay zone features a number of new venues built entirely for this edition of the Olympics.

The other zone reuses old facilities previously used for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was at the 1964 Games that a Nigerian, Nojeem Maiyegun first won an Olympic medal.

The Athletes’ Village is located at the centre of the two zones. The new 68,000-seater Olympic Stadium has been built on exactly the same footprint as the previous National Stadium, which was the focal point for the 1964 Games. The new venue is on track to be completed by this November, ahead of test events.

Unlike at the London 2012 Games, there is no centralised Olympic Park, with all venues sitting apart from each other.

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As has been the case with previous Olympic host cities, a number of events will take place outside Tokyo, with cycling and surfing some distance away. Football matches will be held throughout Japan.

Of the 43 venues to be used at the Games, eight are new, 25 existing and 10 temporary. More than half the new venues are already complete, with only the aquatics centre construction due to run over into next year.

As Tokyo is already one of the busiest cities in the world, there is some concern about how an already strained transport system will cope with the addition of hundreds of thousands of people for the Olympics. The organisers’ answer is simple: ask local people to stop travelling at key times.

It may sound bizarre to other nations, but Tokyo 2020 organisers are hoping to tap into a strong national pride that exists in Japan, with the hope that people will do all they can for the Games to be a success.

Dedicated Games lanes are unlikely to be employed in the city, although that is yet to be confirmed. Instead, organisers will ask people to avoid driving at rush hours and businesses to conduct deliveries at night. They claim a 15 per cent reduction in traffic is all they require to achieve a smooth road transport network. Organisers expect spectators to use the city’s extensive rail network to get around.

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A seven-week test period has been implemented from July 22 to September 6 this year with more than half a million people being asked to work from home as a trial scheme to see how it affects transport congestion.

Support for Tokyo 2020 seems to be strong if judged purely by the numbers of people who have applied to play a role or attend the Games.

More than 200,000 people applied to fill the 110,000 volunteer places at the Olympics and Paralympics, while ticket applications were so oversubscribed that the deadline had to be extended by 12 hours due to such a high volume of traffic on the website.

The mere fact that organisers believe they need only to ask people not to use their cars rather than provide any other incentive also suggests the local population is broadly happy with playing host.

As often happens with hosting major events, the overspend has gone into the many billions, which has lessened mass support across the country. There have also been reports of violations of human rights among workers at some of the new venues being built.

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With Japan’s status as one of the world’s leading electronics innovators, Tokyo 2020 will feature a number of innovative elements, many of which are yet to be announced. Robotics will be used extensively – futuristic-looking electric golf carts will transport people around venues and facial recognition will be used for media and workers.

There have been major concerns about the heat after temperatures of 41 degrees last summer resulted in the death of almost 100 people. To mitigate another heat wave the marathons will begin at 6am and the entire route has been painted with a special substance, which organisers claim reduces the road surface temperature and therefore air temperature immediately above it by up to eight degrees.

There has been great emphasis placed on sustainability, with more than six million old mobile phones and other small electronic devices collected around Japan from which the 5,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals will be produced.

The podiums will also be made from recycled waste, with organisers asking Japanese people to donate their plastic waste.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Olympics

Olympic rings removed from Eiffel Tower

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The Eiffel Tower and the Olympic Rings

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.

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Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Ahmed El-Gendy won Egypt's only gold at the Paris Olympics

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. 

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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

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Paris 2024 Games break record ticket sales

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Beach Volleyball - Men's Gold Medal Match - Sweden vs Germany (Ahman/Hellvig vs Ehlers/Wickler) - Eiffel Tower Stadium, Paris, France - August 10, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo

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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