China News Service, March 30th. According to a report by the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) on the evening of the 30th, a number of relevant persons in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said that the International Olympic Committee and Japan have reached an agreement on the postponed Tokyo Olympics schedule. On the schedule, the Tokyo Olympics will open on July 23, 2021. Six days after the announcement of the Olympic delay, the Tokyo Olympics finally ushered in a new start. As of press time, the news had not been officially confirmed.

Data map: On March 23rd local time, with the Tokyo Olympic Games originally scheduled to open on July 24th, the Olympic elements are everywhere on the streets of Tokyo, Japan.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a conference call on the 24th to discuss the new crown pneumonia epidemic causing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to face a changing situation. Subsequently, the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee issued a joint statement announcing that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held after 2020 but no later than the summer of 2021, and the names of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the Paralympic Games will remain unchanged.

Milestone review: Three successes after losing bids

In the early morning of September 8, 2013, after a vote by members of the International Olympic Committee, Tokyo Japan defeated Istanbul Turkey and Madrid Spain to obtain the right to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. This is the second time that Tokyo has hosted the Summer Olympics after the 1964 Summer Olympics in 1964.

Data Map: Pedestrians take a group photo before the changed time plate.

Japan's successful bid ended the previous three defeats. In the 1988 and 2008 Olympic bids, Japan's Nagoya and Osaka lost to Seoul and Beijing at the time. During the 2016 Olympic bid process, Tokyo Japan lost to Brazil. Rio de Janeiro.

On September 1, 2015, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee decided to stop using the official emblem of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games designed by Keno Sano. It is reported that the emblem review materials originally submitted by Sano used unauthorized photographic works downloaded from the Internet and were suspected of infringement. This is also a "big oolong" in Japan's preparations for the Olympics after abandoning the plan for the construction of the Olympic main stadium.

Data Figure: Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee decided to suspend the emblem.

On April 25, 2016, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee announced the results of the selection of the new emblem. Among the four final candidate works, the work "Matsuichi Matsumoto" composed of a combination of traditional Japanese blue diamonds . The new emblem is composed of three different types of rectangles, representing different countries, cultures and ways of thinking, and conveying the message of "diversity collection". The release of the new emblem also officially ended the plagiarism of the previous version of the emblem.

"Tokyo Eight Minutes" unveiled "Tokyo Time", but did not expect it to be "enhanced version"

On August 21, 2016, the Rio Olympics closing ceremony took place at Maracana Stadium. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe played the debut of Super Mario. This wonderful 8-minute "rehearsal" announced that the Olympic Games officially entered Tokyo time, but at that time nobody could have imagined that this "Tokyo time" turned out to be an "enhanced version".

Shinzo Abe played Mario at the Rio Olympics closing ceremony.

On February 28, 2018, the Tokyo Olympics mascot was released. The futuristic robot mascot with the emblem of the Olympic Games was selected. The main color of the Olympic mascot is blue and white. It is a character design that "meets old and new" that can integrate tradition and the future. It pays attention to the ancient style while possessing the most sophisticated knowledge. We must cherish tradition and keep pace with the times. The Paralympic mascot is full of pink cherry blossoms, has a strong heart, and loves nature.

On July 22, 2018, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee officially announced the names of the Olympic and Paralympic mascots, "Miraitowa" and "Someity", respectively. The former implies the hope that the bright future will continue forever. The latter's name comes from a popular cherry variety "somei yoshino" and the English phrase "so mighty".

Data map: Tokyo Olympic mascot released.

On April 16, 2019, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee announced the opening and closing ceremonies and the schedule of 32 major events. Among them, the opening and closing ceremonies were held at the New National Arena on July 24 and August 9, 2020, from 8 to 11 pm.

On July 24, 2019, at the first anniversary of the Tokyo Olympics countdown, the Tokyo Olympic medals were unveiled. The gold medal weighs about 556 grams and the silver medal weighs about 550 grams, which are the highest weights in the Summer Olympics. On February 17 this year, "United by Emotion" was announced as the theme slogan of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Data map: Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the flame gathering ceremony has limited the number of spectators. Only 100 invited guests can participate in this traditional event.

The ill-fated sacred fire journey reflects the helpless extension

On March 12, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic flame collection ceremony was held at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece. The highest priestess successfully collected the tinder through the sun and lit the flame. Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the ceremony site limited the number of spectators, and only 100 invited guests participated in this traditional event. Just one day later, due to public health concerns, the Greek Olympic Committee announced the termination of the delivery of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic flame in the country.

On March 20, the Tokyo Olympic flame finally arrived in Japan for an exhibition in Miyagi Prefecture. However, during the welcoming ceremony, when the staff transferred the tinder to the holy brazier, due to the sudden strong wind in the local area, the holy flame was unexpectedly extinguished during the transfer process, and the holy flame was not ignited until 30 minutes later.

The torch was accidentally blown out by a strong wind.

In fact, as early as the end of January and early February, some people began to question whether the Tokyo Olympics could be held as scheduled in the event of an epidemic. IOC senior member Dick Pound broke the news in February and made the Tokyo Olympics uncertain. Although the Japanese side repeatedly stated that it insisted on holding the event as scheduled, the impact of the epidemic could not be ignored in the end.

On the morning of March 23, local time, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe finally "Matsuguchi", saying that if it cannot be held in a complete form, it will have to consider extension. On the same day, the official website of the International Olympic Committee issued a statement that the assessment of the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic on the Tokyo Olympics will be completed in the next 4 weeks, and a decision will be made at that time, including the possibility of postponing the Olympics. Also on this day, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Australian Olympic Committee issued statements on the Tokyo Olympics, stating that they could not participate as scheduled.

Data Figure: Tokyo Olympic Emblem.

In the end, one day later, on the 24th, after the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the IOC President Bach conference call, the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee issued a joint statement that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be changed after 2020 but no later than Held in the summer of 2021.

Fight again a year later. Is their fire of hope still there?

The Tokyo Olympics cycle has been extended from 4 years to 5 years as never before. It is undoubtedly worse for athletes who have reached the end of their careers. Many well-known Chinese celebrities may be impacted.

Data Figure: Lin Dan in the game. Photo by Lu Ming, China News Agency

The first to be affected was Lin Dan, the two-time Olympic badminton men's singles champion. Since the start of the Tokyo points cycle, Lin Dan has never achieved a successful result. Now that the game has stalled, it's more like a death sentence for his Olympic dream. And next year's 32-year-old Rio Olympics men's singles champion Chen Long also faces challenges.

Guoping is known as the "Dream Team", with many veterans including Malone and Ding Ning. According to the original plan, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen have locked the qualifications for mixed doubles and teams in the Tokyo Olympics, while Ma Long and Ding Ning have the ability to compete for singles and team qualifications. If four people appear in the Olympics at the same time, it means that Guo Ping has four players over 30 years old, which is extremely rare in the history of the team.

Data map: Malone is in the game.

As China ’s first sprinter to advance to the men ’s 100m semifinals, 31-year-old Su Bingtian ’s goal is to be able to stand on the Tokyo Olympics and hit the men ’s 100m finals for the last time. In 2019, he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics as he wished, but in the particularly competitive 100-meter arena, Su Bingtian's prospects for next year are not optimistic.

Data Map: Su Bingtian. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Huafeng

In addition, such as the mother-level player Liu Hong who is returning after childbirth, the 37-year-old Chinese weightlifter Lu Xiaojun, the "Great Wall" Yan Ni of the Chinese women's volleyball team, the Chinese diving team's new generation springboard "Queen" Shi Tingying, "the uncrowned king" Gong Liying ... Everyone is fighting against time, speeding up their pace, and holding on to sweat and tears. (Finish)