Over the last couple of months, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games have made a number of further announcements relating to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

 

Olympic Torch design and route announced

The Olympic Torch Relay route over which the symbolic Olympic Flame will be proudly relayed to a huge number of local areas in Japan has been revealed, along with the torchbearer uniforms and the previously-announced torch itself.

Under the concept of ‘Hope Lights Our Way’ – which aims to “unite the Japanese people around messages of supporting, accepting and encouraging one another” – the torch will start its journey on 26 March 2020 from the J-Village National Training Centre in Fukushima Prefecture.

It will then visit all 47 prefectures of Japan, passing by many of the nation’s most famous and cherished sights, for a period of 121 days, serving as a symbol of the Olympic Games and visiting 857 local municipalities along the way – with around 98% of Japan’s population living within one hour by car or train of the proposed route.

The route also includes visits UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Mount Fuji and Itsukushima shrine and other historic locations and popular places, including favourite local community spots.

The torch relay will feature around 10,000 torchbearers including men, women and children from a wide range of nationalities, ages and abilities with anyone interested invited to submit an application via the official website at www.tokyo2020.org.

 

Public viewing sites

A number of large sites for public viewings and other activities of the 2020 Games were announced across Japan, including the host region of the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship – Kumamoto (Kumamoto-jo Hall).

The sites aim to allow visitors and spectators from around the world to enjoy viewing live broadcasts of the competition events and share in the emotions and excitement of the Games.

 

Maths textbook

A new and specially-formulated mathematics textbook which aims to help students enjoy the study of mathematics through interaction with Japanese athletes and sporting bodies was also launched.

The book also gives students the opportunity to actively participate in educational initiatives linked to the Games with one part containing maths challenges related to 33 Olympic sports and the other with content related to 22 Paralympic sports.

 

Robots

Tokyo 2020 launched their ‘Human Support Robot and Delivery Support Robot’ project which is set to allow all spectators to watch the Games in greater comfort and ease human workloads.

The robots will provide assistance to spectators in wheelchairs at the Olympic Stadium by carrying food and other goods, guiding people to their seats, and providing event information.

Power Assist Suits will also be utilised in the backstage areas of venues and the Olympic and Paralympic Villages to unload and transport heavy objects, including food and drinks, and for waste disposal, to ease human workloads and providing a healthier and safer working environment. The suits will also be deployed at airports loading incoming athletes’ luggage onto buses.

 

Competition schedule revealed

Tokyo 2020 published all the session information for a record 33 sports and 339 events at the Olympic Games, plus information about the ceremonies.

The Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will take place on 24 July and the Closing Ceremony on 9 August. Both will start at 20:00hrs and finish by 23:00hrs.

The men’s and women’s handball competition schedule session times were also updated and confirmed as follows (all times local):

Saturday 25 July

09:00-12:30 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Sunday 26 July

09:00-12:30 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Monday 27 July

09:00-12:30 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Tuesday 28 July

09:00-12:30 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Wednesday 29 July

09:00-12:30 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Thursday 30 July

09:00-12:30 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Friday 31 July

09:00-12:30 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Saturday 1 August

09:00-12:30 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Sunday 2 August

09:00-12:30 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Men's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Monday 3 August

09:00-12:30 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

14:15-17:45 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

19:30-23:00 Women's Preliminaries (2 matches)

Tuesday 4 August

09:30-11:30 Men's Quarter-Final

13:15-15:15 Men's Quarter-Final

17:00-19:00 Men's Quarter-Final

20:45-22:45 Men's Quarter-Final

Wednesday 5 August

09:30-11:30 Women's Quarter-Final

13:15-15:15 Women's Quarter-Final

17:00-19:00 Women's Quarter-Final

20:45-22:45 Women's Quarter-Final

Thursday 6 August

17:00-19:00 Men's Semi-Final

21:00-23:00 Men's Semi-Final

Friday 7 August

17:00-19:00 Women's Semi-Final

21:00-23:00 Women's Semi-Final

Saturday 8 August

17:00-19:00 Men's Bronze Medal Match

21:00-23:30 Men's Gold Medal Match / Men's Victory Ceremony

Sunday 9 August

11:00-13:00 Women's Bronze Medal Match

15:00-17:30 Women's Gold Medal Match / Women's Victory Ceremony

All matches and victory ceremonies will take place at the Yoyogi National Stadium.

Previous updates

In February IHF.info updated you about the handball test event, confirmed teams so far, Test events, Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments and volunteering at the Games, while in March we revealed the handball pictogram and 500 Days to Go celebrations.

For more information about all of the above stories and very latest news from Tokyo 2020, visit their official website at www.tokyo2020.org.