Olympics
TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC MEDAL DESIGNER THRILLED BY ATTENDANT FAME AS HE EXPLAINS CONCEPT
BY DANIEL ETCHELLS
The designer of the medals for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has admitted he is still coming to terms with his newfound fame as he explained the concept behind them.
The medals designed by Junichi Kawanishi, a representative of
SIGNSPLAN and director of the Japan Sign Design Association and Osaka Design
Society, were unveiled on Wednesday to coincide with celebrations exactly one
year before the Games begin.
In order to come up with a range of possibilities from which to choose, Tokyo 2020 held a competition open to professional designers and design students which attracted more than 400 entries.
These were subsequently reviewed by members of a selection panel and the winning designs chosen by them.
It is claimed the design of the medals reflects the concept that “in order to achieve glory, athletes have to strive for victory on a daily basis”.
The medals are said to resemble rough stones that have been polished and which now shine, with “light” and “brilliance” their overall themes.
“By receiving light from various angles… I thought about the cheers from the public and those thoughts are reflected,” Kawanishi was reported as saying by Reuters during a press conference at the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee headquarters.
“Reflection of light reaches various directions so I hope that the reflected light from the medal would reach all directions when it is worn by an athlete.
“That is my intention.”
After graduating from Osaka University of Arts, Kawanishi continued drawing and exhibiting paintings.
This was while working as assistant at the space design office of the university’s design department.
He stopped drawing, however, following the death of his father in the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and decided to take up design instead.
Kawanishi said he received a call last year to tell him his proposal had been selected.
“As many people applied, I thought there is no way I would be selected,” he added.
“Experiencing the Olympic Games is a once in a lifetime experience – I was not born when they had the previous Games in 1964 so I was feeling happy already to experience home Olympics.
“When I received a phone call, I was relaxing at home and had a few drinks.
“I became sober instantly but… I remember that my heart was beating fast.”
As previously announced, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals will be manufactured using the precious metal extracted from mobile phones and other small electronic devices donated by the public.
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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