Olympic Torch Relay canceled Withdrawal work at J-Village March 25 at 14:01

At the J-Village in Fukushima Prefecture, where the torch relay of the Tokyo Olympics was supposed to start on the 26th, the stage and audio equipment installed for the ceremony were removed.

It was announced that the ceremony scheduled at J-Village at the start of the Torch Relay will be canceled late night on the 24th.

The construction of the stage, large screens, and sound equipment was almost finished on the grass field of J Village, but a large number of staff gathered on the 25th to complete the withdrawal work.

On the other hand, on both sides of the route where the first runner was supposed to run and in front of the stage, decoration work was performed such as branches with pink flowers blooming more than the height of the person.

We hope that the torch relay after the postponement will start from J Village, and that it is for rehearsals.

A woman in her thirties who was visiting sightseeing from Tokyo said, "While traveling around Fukushima Prefecture, I wanted to see the venue of the torch relay. We can't stop it. "

Local governments are forced to respond

In Fukushima Prefecture, where the torch relay of the Tokyo Olympics was scheduled to start on the 26th, the local government official who had been on the route had been busy responding to the related authorities, etc., just before the cancellation.

Aizu Wakamatsu City was scheduled to hold a torch relay on the 27th of the second day. However, on the night of the 24th, the torch relay was decided to be canceled, and in the city hall, from the morning, the person in charge of the Sports Promotion Division was scheduled to run with about 120 volunteers recruited by the city and runners and 20 fifth graders. I was busy with a phone call to.

Aizu-Wakamatsu City spent around 350,000 yen to make matching jerseys for volunteers, but since the date of “March 27” has been entered, we will respond in the future. Are considering.

In addition, the hosting Thai boxing team and others planned to camp in the city in mid-June from mid-June, but it has become blank.

"We were surprised to hear the cancellation last night. The organizing committee will have to hold down the people and facilities in charge of setting the torch relay and camp on other dates. Please tell us your future schedule as soon as possible. "

103 year old torch runner

The Torch Relay of the Tokyo Olympics will set a new schedule according to the postponement time, and one of the torch runners, a 103-year-old man living in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, said, I want to run it all the way ".

103-year-old Shoji Tokuhisa, who lives in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, started athletics at the age of 97 and entered the 60-meter run at the Masters Track and Field Games in China three years ago. Marked the Japanese record of the department.

The goal of the Torch Relay was to give courage to anyone who was running 200 meters at full power.

At the age of 103, he is still training every day. For the Torch Relay, which was scheduled to be held in Hiroshima in May, he practiced 200 meters with a model weighing the same as the torch on 6th of this month. I just started.

Regarding the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics for about one year, Mr. Tomihisa said, "I think it will be unavoidable to postpone one year from the world situation." Then, "The torch relay has been a major goal in my 103 years since I lived. There was a hope for achieving my goal that I had to survive this year. I want to struggle. "

Director DeNA Ramirez

Ramirez, a professional baseball player who was planning to serve as a torch runner in Kanagawa Prefecture, said, "I understand these decisions and just follow them quietly. If I can run again next year, I am very happy and happy. The Tokyo Olympics It would be nice if this was done without delay. "