The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games released the outline of the torch relays on Monday. For the Olympics, the relay will start at the J-Village soccer facility in Fukushima Prefecture on March 25 next year and will pass through all 47 prefectures over a period of 121 days until July 23, when the opening ceremony will be held at the National Stadium in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
The plan initially decided for the Games, which were to be held this year, will be followed in principle, except for bringing forward the schedules by a day to accommodate match schedule changes that were made after the postponement.
In line with the original decision, the first runners in the Olympic relay will be members of the women's national soccer team, Nadeshiko Japan, and other torch relay runners already selected will be given priority as well. The course and the order of municipalities that the torch will pass through will not be changed either.
However, a reduction in the number of vehicles accompanying the runners is planned, as the organizing committee is simplifying a wide range of areas in an effort to cut costs and is also faced with the need to implement novel coronavirus countermeasures. Adjusting the decorations and equipment used in ceremonies to welcome torch runners is also being discussed.
The Paralympic torch relay will also start one day earlier than originally planned. Events such as the flame lighting ceremony will begin on Aug. 12 in Japan, after the end of the Olympics. The torch relay will be held from Aug. 17 to 24 in the four prefectures where the Paralympic Games will be held: Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Shizuoka.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
