Tokyo 2020: One month to go

23 Jun. 2021

Tokyo 2020: One month to go

Today marks not only Olympic Day, described by IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa as highlighting the benefits of sport “bringing communities together”, but just one month to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Friday 23 July.

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games getting closer and closer, ihf.info brings you more news and updates in addition to our piece at the beginning of the month when it was ’50 Days to Go’.

Final preparations for the 24 handball squads

Aside from the key handball day – 24 July – when the men of Norway and Brazil throw off the handball competitions at 9:00 (JST) inside the impressive Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, all other aspects of the handball competitions are confirmed, with all 24 teams known, tickets on sale and the final match schedule known.

The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams are now in their final stages of preparation with many already naming their final 14-player squads plus 1 replacement player (Ap alternate athlete) ahead of the final deadline on 5 July 2021. 

Third and final versions of Tokyo 2020 Playbooks published

Last week saw the third and final versions of the comprehensive ‘Tokyo 2020 Playbooks’ published, a key part of the overall countermeasures being put in place for the Games, provide extensive details for each key stakeholder group to help them complete their preparations for travelling to and arriving in Japan, their time at the Games, and their departure from Tokyo.

The Playbooks are the basis of the game plan to ensure that all Olympic and Paralympic Games participants and the people of Japan stay safe and healthy this summer. 

They have been developed jointly by Tokyo 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in close collaboration with the Government of Japan and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. They are based on the extensive work of the All Partners Task Force and collaboration with scientific experts and organisations from across the world. 

They also build upon the experience of International Federations and other sports organisers, which have delivered more than 430 major sports events since September 2020 with the participation of more than 54,000 athletes. 

All these events were held safely for both the participants and the local population – amongst them the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship in Egypt as well as the Men’s and Women’s Tokyo Olympic Qualification Tournaments 2020 held in five countries. 

You can view the Tokyo 2020 Playbooks here.

Operational delivery mode

19 to 21 May saw the 11th and final meeting of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 conclude and Tokyo 2020 subsequently enter the so-called ‘operational delivery phase’.

In addition to information surrounding a variety of vaccination initiatives, the Coordination Commission was further encouraged by the many sporting events taking place successfully around the globe, noting at the time that more than 54,000 athletes had competed in over 430 major sports events since September 2020, all held safely for participants and the local population. 

Online fun

The IOC launched a number of games as part of their ‘FanZone’ and you can win prizes by signing up here. 

Olympic Magic Moments
Make your mark on Olympic history and vote for your favourite heart-stopping moments. There have been so many incredible Olympic moments. But which one is the most memorable? Vote for yours and find out! 

More here. 

Olympic Trivia
Test your Olympic knowledge. You know the athletes. You've followed the Olympic Games. Relive the nostalgia and test your knowledge. Challenge yourself and compete with others before and during the Olympic Games with different Trivia quizzes based on athletes and events.

More here. 

Olympic Fantasy
Select your top 10 athletes of choice and win points for medal events that they place in daily. But there's a catch, you can only make five changes a day. A fantasy game like no other – pick your favourite athletes from across the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to create your ultimate dream team.

More here.

Olympic Brackets
You think you know who will place in each team sport? Play through the bracket tool to create your podium and win prizes for being correct. You decide who makes it on the podium for all your favourite team sports using the bracket tool.

More here.

100% renewable energy, carbon offsetting

Tokyo 2020 announced in May that it will source 100% of the energy required for the operation of the Games from renewable sources, including electricity generated in Fukushima Prefecture.

In addition to the renewable energy commitment, Tokyo 2020 also projected that it will be able to offset more than 100% of its carbon emissions after the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Saitama Prefecture, announced the results of Tokyo 2020's carbon offsetting programme. 

With the support and cooperation of these two government authorities and all participating corporations, credits equivalent to a total of approximately 4.38 million tonnes of CO₂ were collected and which are expected to offset more than the total emissions from the Games, which are estimated at approximately 2.73 million tonnes of CO₂, taking the Tokyo 2020 Games beyond carbon neutrality in driving emissions reductions. 

This complements Tokyo 2020’s carbon reduction measures which have so far resulted in the reduction of 280,000 tonnes of CO₂.

Olympic Forest

As part of the IOC’s climate-positive strategy, it has committed to plant an ‘Olympic Forest’ in Mali and Senegal, contributing towards the ‘Great Green Wall’ initiative, which restores degraded landscapes across Africa’s Sahel region. 

The Forest will involve planting around 355,000 native trees across approximately 90 villages in Mali and Senegal – host of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 – and will cover a combined area of around 2,120 hectares.

More than planting trees, the Olympic Forest will contribute to increasing the local communities’ food and economic security. The IOC will work hand in hand with local communities to ensure the Olympic Forest creates diverse social, economic and environmental benefits in an area which has experienced increased droughts and floods, leading to a steady degradation of land and sources of food.

To create the Olympic Forest, the IOC will work with Tree Aid, a non-profit organisation with over 30 years’ experience working with people in the drylands of Africa to tackle poverty and the effects of the climate crisis by growing trees and restoring and protecting land.

Olympic Truce

Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto attended an International Olympic Truce Centre (IOTC) Board meeting for the first time as a board member, following her appointment as an IOTC board member.

“The IOTC’s efforts to realise the principles of the Olympics as a celebration of peace in concrete form will complement the prayers for peace that will be offered at the Tokyo 2020 Games,” she said. “I hope that these prayers will become stronger and more powerful and will be conveyed to the world through heartfelt exchanges between the board members in this meeting who share the same thoughts.”

The IOTC was established in July 2000 as a joint initiative of Greece and the IOC, turning the commitment of the Olympic Movement to promote the principle of Peace into concrete action. 

Anti-Doping cooperation

Tokyo 2020 announced the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at promoting collaboration and facilitating the sharing of information concerning anti-doping measures in the lead-up to and during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. 

The Memorandum was co-signed by the International Testing Agency (ITA), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Japan Sport Agency (JSA), the Japan Sport Council (JSC) and the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA).

All parties involved are fully committed to ensuring that the Games are clean and that all available measures can be taken swiftly should the use or trafficking of banned substances or methods be discovered in the context of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

All signatories of the Memorandum are resolutely committed to adopting a zero-tolerance approach against doping and will do everything in their respective powers to protect the health of all Olympians and the integrity and fairness of the Games.

Tokyo 2020 Posters released

Tokyo 2020 unveiled a selection of iconic posters representing the Tokyo 2020 Games, 12 of which are based on the theme of the Olympic Games and eight on the Paralympic Games.

Since the early 20th century, posters have been created by Organising Committees of the Olympic Games to promote this major sporting and cultural event. Olympic posters also play the role of showcasing the special features of each Games to the world. 

Recently, official posters – including Paralympic posters – have been created by internationally-renowned artists and designers aimed at leaving cultural and artistic legacies for each Olympic and Paralympic Games. These posters include works that are now regarded as iconic. 

The President of the IOC traditionally selects one poster to symbolise each Olympic Games, with the selected poster displayed in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. 

All the Tokyo 2020 official art posters and iconic posters will be on display at an exhibition being held at the Japan Olympic Museum from Wednesday 23 June until Sunday 3 October.

To see the posters online, visit here.
 
Tokyo 2020 match information

The Tokyo 2020 handball competitions start on Saturday 24 July with the preliminary round of the men’s tournament throwing off. The women’s competition starts the following day, on Sunday 25 July. The medal matches will be played on 7 August (men) and 8 August (women). 

All games will be played at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo.

Visit tokyo2020.org for more information on the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.