Thousands of citizens attended a concert in Tokyo Sunday to mark international Olympic Day, hosted by the Japanese Olympic Committee (IOC) at the NHK Hall in Shbuya – next to the “Yoyogi Cluster” in the “Heritage Zone”, a key venue in Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. More than one million people viewed the event.
Tsunekazu Takeda, President of the JOC and Vice President of Tokyo 2016, presented Tokyo 2016’s new bid emblem at the concert. The emblem symbolizes the bid’s “Musubi Promise” to the Olympic Movement, which, according to a Tokyo 2016 press release, will see Tokyo 2016 “reunite youth with sport, old and new Japan, heritage and innovation, Green with 2016 and the Games with city life for the benefit of Japan and the whole Olympic Movement”.
The logo now has the five Olympic rings as Tokyo is one of the four Candidate Cities as chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) earlier this month.
The JOC has staged the Olympic Concerts in Tokyo sine 1997. The concerts are supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) and Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc.
Dr. Ichiro Kono, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tokyo 2016 said at the concert, “the Olympic and Paralympic Games is not just a sporting event but a truly unique social and cultural celebration that unites the world with the Olympic spirit. We are honoured to be part of the celebrations for Olympic Day, and are humbled by the thousands of passionate people who have shown their support for Tokyo 2016 and the Olympic Movement. The involvement of some of this country’s finest Olympians also fills us with great pride for Japan’s sporting heritage and the potential they have to inspire future generations to take up sport. The atmosphere confirms once again that Japan is united in excitement at the prospect of bringing the 2016 Games to Tokyo”.
There will be celebrations all week as the JOC prepares to host the Olympic Day Run in Aomari on June 29 – one of ten Olympic runs in Japan between May 2008 and March 2009. According to the press release the 5km fun run is open to all and gives runners the “unique opportunity” to meet some of Japan’s most famous athletes.
