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Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay schedule unveiled

By Nick ZaccardiJul 12, 2018, 6:27 AM EST
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The Tokyo Olympic torch relay will start March 26, 2020, in the tsunami-affected prefecture of Fukushima, after the Olympic flame arrives from its ceremonial lighting in Olympia, Greece.

The torch relay will spend 121 days in Japan before ending at the Opening Ceremony on July 24, the earliest Opening Ceremony since the 1996 Atlanta Games (July 19).

As previously announced, the torch relay will visit all 47 prefectures of Japan with emphasis on the area affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

With the motto “Hope Lights Our Way,” it will visit the three prefectures most affected by the tsunami and earthquake (Fukushima (March 26-28), Iwate (June 17-19) and Miyagi (June 20-22)) for three days each.

More than 18,000 people died or went missing after a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organizers have been eager to use the Games as a symbol of recovery from the 2011 disaster that hit Japan’s northeastern region including Fukushima, 150 miles north of Tokyo, where entire communities fled after meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.

In March 2017, Tokyo 2020 confirmed that some baseball and softball games will be held in Fukushima.

The torch relay will also spend 15 days in the Tokyo metropolitan area, plus three days each in the four prefectures hosting multiple Olympic events (Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama and Shizuoka).

More torch relay details, including regarding the specific route and start date in Olympia, will be announced later.

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Fukushima added as Tokyo 2020 Olympic baseball, softball venue

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Associated PressMar 17, 2017, 10:09 AM EST
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TOKYO (AP) — Organizers on Friday confirmed that baseball and softball games for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held in Fukushima, an area hit by the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster.

The International Olympic Committee approved the use of Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium as an additional venue for baseball and softball.

The IOC and Tokyo organizers have been eager to use the games as a symbol of recovery from the 2011 disaster that hit Japan’s northeastern region including Fukushima, 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Tokyo, where entire communities fled after meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.

More than 18,000 people died or went missing after a massive earthquake and tsunami.

“By hosting Olympic baseball and softball events, Fukushima will have a great platform to show the world the extent of its recovery in the 10 years since the disaster,” Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said.

The stadium, which has hosted professional baseball games in recent years, will be renovated for the games. Yokohama Stadium, some 40km (24 miles) from Tokyo, will be the main stadium for the baseball and softball competitions.

The proposal to use the 31-year-old Fukushima stadium was approved at the IOC Executive Board meeting in Pyeongchang.

Baseball and softball were dropped after the Beijing Olympics in 2008 but have been added to the Olympic program for the 2020 Games.

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Fukushima, site of nuclear disaster, wants to host 2020 Olympic baseball

Fukushima
By Nick ZaccardiMar 3, 2015, 10:27 AM EST
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Fukushima, the site of 2011 nuclear plant meltdowns caused by an earthquake and tsunami, hopes to host preliminary baseball and softball games for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, according to Agence France-Presse.

“We are still in the process of recovery from the disaster, and it would be a dream to have world-class athletes play here,” said Fukushima city official Hiroaki Kuwajima, according to AFP.

The Fukushima meltdowns were a cause of concern as Tokyo bid for the 2020 Olympics in 2013. It won an International Olympic Committee vote over Istanbul and Madrid and will host its second Games, 56 years after its first.

In the 2013 question-and-answer session with IOC members, Tokyo organizers were asked about a leak of radiation-contaminated water at the Fukushima nuclear plant. At the time, it marked the fifth and largest leak from the plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami.

There were concerns over possible radiation effects, but Kuwajima cited “harmful rumors,” and Fukushima hopes athletes will eat the local food, according to AFP.

“Fukushima has suffered a lot of financial damage caused by misinformation,” Kuwajima said, according to AFP. “We would like to be able to sweep away those harmful rumors.”

Baseball and softball were last contested at the Olympics in 2008. In 2013, they lost a vote to be re-added to the Olympics for 2020 and 2024, but they could still be added for the 2020 Olympics, if the host of Tokyo submits a proposal that is approved.

Baseball and softball were traditionally held at one or two venues when part of the Olympic program, and Fukushima is 155 miles north of Tokyo.

The then-Fukushima Governor said in June that he hoped the 2020 Olympic torch relay would go through Fukushima.

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