21 January 2020
Bureau of Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 Preparation

Tokyo to Hold the Tokyo 2020 Year Commemorative Ceremony

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) is planning to install Olympic and Paralympic Symbols off the shore of the Odaiba Marine Park water area, a symbolic area for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The Olympic Symbol will be installed from mid-January until the end of the Olympic Games. Following that, it will be converted to the Paralympic Symbol in mid-August.
On Friday 24 January 2020, exactly half a year before the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Symbol will be lit for the first time, commemorating the start of the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. TMG will host the Tokyo 2020 Year Commemorative Ceremony in order to raise anticipation for the Tokyo 2020 Games in Japan and across the world.
The general public can enjoy watching the lighting of the Olympic Symbol and a commemorative fireworks display.

1. Olympic Symbol Installation

Starting from mid-January, a large-scale Olympic Symbol will be placed on a salvage barge and set up on the water.

• Installation Period
  From mid-January 2020 until 9 August 2020 (scheduled)
• Location
  Odaiba Marine Park water area
• Dimensions
  Length - 32.6m, Height - 15.3m, Width - 1.7m

2. Tokyo 2020 Year Commemorative Ceremony

The Olympic Symbol will be unveiled to commemorate the exact half-year mark before the start of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Overview

Date/Time

Friday 24 January 2020, 18:15 - 18:45

Location

Hilton Tokyo Odaiba, 3rd Floor, Rainbow Terrace (1-9-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo)

Organiser

TMG

Co-organiser

Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee

Cooperation

Tokyo Rinkai Holdings, Inc.

Scheduled Content

• Opening remarks by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (organiser)
• Introduction of guests of honor
• Speeches by guests of honor
  • JOC President Yamashita, JPC President Torihara and guest athletes
• Photo Session
  • All participants
• Lighting ceremony of the Olympic Symbol almost concurrently with a commemorative fireworks display

Scheduled Participants

• Organiser: Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo
• Co-Organiser: Takashi Yamamoto, Vice Director General, Tokyo 2020
• Guests
  • Yasuhiro Yamashita, President, Japanese Olympic Committee
  • Mitsunori Torihara, President, Japanese Paralympic Committee, Japan Para-Sports Association
  • Masaaki Takei, Mayor of Minato-ku
  • Takaaki Yamazaki, Mayor of Koto-ku
  • Masanori Wake, Vice-Mayor of Shinagawa-ku
  • Ryoichi Ishikawa, President, Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
  • Seigo Tachibana, Vice-President, Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
  • Kunihiko Koyama, Chairperson, Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Special Committee on Measures to Promote Olympic & Paralympic Games and Rugby World Cup
  • Kunihiro Higashimura, President, Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Group for the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020
• Guest Athletes
  • Karina Maruyama, Olympian, Football, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012
  • Koyo Iwabuchi, Paralympian, Table Tennis, Rio 2016 and certified Tokyo Athlete

Other

• The Tokyo 2020 Year Commemorative Ceremony will not be open to the general public.
• Rainbow Bridge will be specially illuminated in rainbow colours from 18:15 - 24:00, with the cooperation of Metropolitan Expressway Company Limited.

3. Tokyo 2020 Year Commemorative Fireworks (viewable by the general public)

A fireworks display will be held to commemorate the half year before the Olympic Games.

Overview

Date/Time

Friday 24 January 2020, from 18:40 for approximately 5 minutes

Launching Location

Odaiba Marine Park, off the shore of Torinoshima (Bird Island)

Organiser

TMG

Co-organiser

Tokyo 2020

Cooperation

Tokyo Rinkai Holdings, Inc.

Other

In the event of inclement weather, events may be cancelled.

(Reference) The overview of Olympic and Paralympic Symbols

1. Olympic Symbol (the five rings)

• Installation period
  Mid-January 2020 - 9 August 2020 (scheduled)
• Location
  Odaiba Marine Park water area
• Dimensions
  Length - 32.6m, Height - 15.3m, Width - 1.7m
• Materials
  Steel construction
• Light source
  Interior illumination (white)
• Lighting times
  Friday 24 January 18:40 - 24:00
  Saturday 25 January - Thursday 30 April 18:15 - 24:00
  Friday 1 May - Thursday 16 July 19:00 - 24:00
  Friday 17 July - Sunday 9 August (scheduled) 19:00 - 5:00 (next day)

2. Paralympic Symbol (the three agitos)

• Installation period
  Mid-August 2020 - Sunday 6 September (scheduled)
  Note: Once the Olympics Games are finished, it will be converted to the Paralympic Symbol
• Location
  Odaiba Marine Park water area
• Dimensions
  Length - 23.4m, Height - 17.5m, Width - 2m (scheduled)
• Materials
  Steel construction
• Light source
  Interior illumination (white)
• Lighting times
  Everyday 19:00 - 5:00 (next day)

Note) To build up a festive atmosphere in anticipation of the Games, TMG will continue to install Olympic and Paralympic Symbols, Wordmark, and Games mascot statues in Tokyo. Please refer to the press release “Basic Plan for Tokyo 2020 City Dressing and Spectaculars” (29 March 2019) for details on locations and other activities.

• TMG Website

Inquiries (Assistance in Japanese only)

Project Section, Planning and Promotion Division Bureau of Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 Preparation Phone: 03-5320-7769