Goal ceremony for a 1,000-km relay to Tokyo

On Friday, August 7, Governor Masuzoe welcomed the runners who finished the final leg of a 1,000-km relay to Tokyo at Symbol Promenade Park in Koto Ward.

The 15-day relay started in Aomori Prefecture on July 24 and passed through areas of the Tohoku region hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

In addition to about 100 citizen runners, wheelchair tennis player Shingo Kunieda, who won a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympic Game in London, and other guest runners ran the final leg of the relay.

At the goal ceremony, the governor received sashes from the tennis player and a message board from a runner representing all participants. He said, “Now, I’ve just received the sashes and messages. I think each participant ran with the belief that without the recovery of the Tohoku region, there will be no recovery or revival of Japan. We should never forget our resolve to inspire Tohoku through the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. I believe that the bond formed through the passing of the sashes between such a large number of caring runners is a source of strength for everyone in Japan. There are many challenges ahead, but past host cities have all faced similar problems. We will unite and overcome these challenges one by one, and put forth our best efforts so that the 2020 Games will be remembered as the best ever.”