The 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo will be like no other.
Initially scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, the Games had to be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While the second wave is still very much with us, preparations are well under way to host an extraordinary event for these extraordinary times.
At the IOC Session in last July, all the venues intended for use during the games and the sports competition schedule were announced. All related parties are now making preparations as one for a successful event, always putting safety and security first.
In February this year, the joint statement of G7 Leaders was issued which supports the commitment of Japan to hold the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in a safe and secure manner this summer as a symbol of global unity in overcoming Covid-19.
The unprecedented preparations for the Olympics are featured in a video series called Sharing the Sun, which airs on the Embassy of Japan in South Africa’s YouTube channel every Thursday. Hosted by Lalla Hirayama, the series takes an in-depth look at subjects topical to the long-established relationship between the two countries, and aims to bring Japan closer to South Africa.
This year’s Games are being organised around three core concepts: “Achieving Personal Best”, “Unity in Diversity” and “Connecting to Tomorrow”. The Tokyo games aim to deliver an event where every athlete can realise their best performance and achieve their personal best through flawless preparation and execution. The games will also foster a welcoming environment and raise awareness of Unity in Diversity among citizens of the world and then enable Japan, now a mature economy, to promote future changes throughout the world, as well as to leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Three Host Towns will support South African Olympic and Paralympic teams. They engage in various activities to support South African athletes and to foster long-term relationships with South Africa.
One of these is Machida, which is located in the western part of Tokyo Prefecture. The city and South Africa began to interact in 2015 when the Blue Bulls visited Japan for a practice match with Machida City's hometown team, the Canon Eagles.
Edited by Secretariat of the Headquarters for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Cabinet Secretariat.
Another Host Town is Iizuka in Fukuoka Prefecture, which has hosted the Iizuka International Wheelchair Tennis Tournament for many years.
Pre-games training camps will be held in both cities to prepare South African athletes to compete against their international counterparts.
Edited by Secretariat of the Headquarters for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Cabinet Secretariat.
A very special addition to the line-up of Host Towns is Iwanuma city in Miyagi Prefecture which, in November 2018, was named as an “Arigato” Host Town for Supporting Reconstruction. ‘Arigato’ is Japanese for ‘thank you’ and this appellation has very special meaning for both the city’s residents and the people of South Africa.
When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in March 2011, a South African rescue team of 45 people was dispatched to Miyagi Prefecture. The team’s contribution has become a symbol of the friendship and solidarity between the people of Japan and South Africa.
The “Arigato” Host Town Initiative is designed to encourage local municipalities to strengthen their relationships with countries that they support. Most importantly, it provides an opportunity for them to showcase the reconstruction process to the countries that helped them during the disaster, through a cultural and personal exchange that will take place after the conclusion of both the Olympics and the Paralympics.
Iwanuma city has been implementing various exchange projects including sending Japanese traditional bamboo decorations with encouraging hand written messages to South Africa.
Edited by Secretariat of the Headquarters for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Cabinet Secretariat.
As the vast machinery required to stage the world’s largest sporting event gears up to prove that humankind has defeated Covid-19, South Africa’s teams are looking forward not only to competing in the Games, but also engaging with teams from other countries and meeting the people who are preparing to welcome them in the various Host Towns.
In a world changed forever, the currency of unity in diversity – the motto on the South African Coat of Arms– is more valuable than ever.
WE ARE ALL, ONE WORLD: Light up HOST TOWN Project
Sharing the Sun airs every Thursday on the YouTube Channel of JAPANinSA.
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