TOKYO 2020: Olympic Torch Relay

The Olympic Torch/Flame is symbol of continuity between the ancient games and the modern games. Months before the start of the Olympic Games, it is lit at Olympia, Greece where the Olympic Games first started. This lighting up of the torch in Olympia, Greece is the start of the Olympic torch relay ceremony will end when the Olympic cauldron is already lit up during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay will be 121 days of journey which will start in Fukushima and will travel to all Japan’s 47 Prefectures with a concept of “Hope Lights Our Way”.

Video by: Tokyo 2020 Youtube Channel

Here are the Olympic Torch Relay details for Tokyo 2020:

Photo by tokyo2020.org

The Olympic Torch Relay will start by lighting up the Olympic Flame in the Ancient Olympia, Green on March 12, 2021. The Flame Hand-over ceremony will take place on March 19, 2021 at Panathinaiko Staduim in Athens, Green. On March 20, 2021, the Olympic Flame will be transport to Japan with by a special aircraft with the name “Tokyo 2020 Go”. It will land at JASDF Matsushima Air Base in Miyagi prefecture. Upon its arrival, an Olympic Flame Arrival Ceremony will be hosted by Tokyo 2020 to officially welcome the Flame and to and celebrate the commencement of the Olympic Torch Relay at J-Village National Training Centre in Fukushima Prefecture on March 26, 2021.

The Olympic Torch Relay will start on March 20, 2021 in Fukushima and will end on July 24, 2021 which is the official start on Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It will be a 121 days of journey that will travel in all of the 47 Prefectures of Japan.

For a detailed schedule:  TOKYO 2020: Schedule of the Olympic Torch Relay

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torchbearers will include general public. Tokyo 2020 Committee had an application for those who wants to be a torchbearers and has now ended. The announcement of the chosen torchbearers will be on December 2021 or later.

Photo by tokyo2020.org

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay Emblem has been designed using three rectangular shapes which have been redesigned so that it will have a resemble to the torch’s flame. The emblem colors which are vermilion and yellow ochre creates an overall sense just like a Japanese-style Festival. The Vermilion color of the emblem symbolizes passion, energy, dynamism and affection, while the Yellow Ochre is a vast of expanses of the earth.

Video by: Tokyo 2020 Youtube Channel

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch is inspired by Japan’s National Flower which is the Cherry Blossom. It was created in a traditional form using aluminium extrusion manufacturing technology which is used in the production of the bullet trains in Japan and approximately 30% of the torch is made up from recycled aluminium which are from the prefabricated housing units in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Photo by tokyo2020.org

Instead of one flames, there will be five separated flames in each Torch’s cherry blossom petals shaped. And will come together as one in the middle. It has a total length of 710 mm or almost 29 in and has a total weight of 1.2 kg.

Photo by tokyo2020.org

Photo by tokyo2020.org

The front of the shirt is the emblem of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay which is placed at the center. The back of the shirt has Tokyo 2020 text and has the ichimatsu moyo chequered pattern. These two centered centered pieces are connected by a sash-liked shaped. The sash-liked shaped around the shirt came from ancient Japanese Shinto rituals and is also used for Japan’s relays.