At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, medalists are traditionally awarded a bouquet to celebrate their victory and efforts.
What you may not know is that there is a deeper hidden meaning behind the flowers used for the victory bouqet.
Experts at Interflora have provided their expert commentary to reveal the hidden meaning behind the chosen flowers.
Read more:
All of the flowers used for the bouquets for the Tokyo 2020 Paraympics are grown mainly in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
The Paralympic games present a vital opportunity to show and promote these culturally significant areas to a worldwide audience.
There will be over 5,000 victory bouquets presented to medalists from all over the world throughout the Paralympic Games and photographs of them will be immortalised in the hands of winning athletes forever.
Additionally, each bouquet will include the Paralympic mascot, a token or keepsake athletes can take home with them long after they keep their bouquets to remind them of their victory.
The hidden meaning behind each flower
Vicky Salmon, head florist at Interflora said: "The bouquets presented to the medalists at Tokyo 2020 present a deeper meaning than their beauty alone. Both bouquets for the Olympics and the Paralympics have been chosen carefully by the Olympic organisers in Japan.
"The victory bouquets somewhat resemble the Olympic bouquet, using the eustomas from Fukushima and gentians from Iwate again. They have also included roses from Miyagi and aspidistras from Tokyo.
"A lot of thought has been put into the creation of these bouquets as the design is said to reflect the concept that there are many people who support a single athlete.
"The bouquet has been designed with the summer heat in mind, allowing the flowers to retain water for longer so that the beauty of the flowers can be maintained for up to 7 days."
Eustomas
The eustomas have been grown and produced in the prefecture of Fukushima, which was drastically affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster.
After the agricultural industry was halted and destroyed Fukushima established a non-profit organisation to grow flowers in a bid to fuel the hope of recovery.
Genitans
Iwate Prefecture is widely known for its production of gentians, which make up the third flower included in the bouquet.
Over half of the gentians produced in Japan come from Iwate, making it synonymous with the region, additionally, its Indigo blue colour is the same as the Tokyo 2020 Games emblem making it even more symbolic for the games.
Aspidistras
This beautiful bloom supporting the other flowers at the base of the bouquet is the aspidistras from Tokyo that represent all the people that came together and contributed to the preparation of the Tokyo 2020 games.
The rose
And finally, the single rose that ties the bouquet together. Grown in Miyagi, this beautiful flower represents the people who support the athletes by their side and the people who cheer them from across the world.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic mascots
The Olympic mascot SOMEITY has been chosen to represent the Paralympic athletes, with the mascot’s name translating to 'so mighty'.
The mascot represents the mental and physical strength demonstrated by Paralympic athletes who have overcome obstacles and redefined the boundaries of possibility.
