The Tokyo Olympic torch relay, which has been postponed for one year, will start in Fukushima Prefecture on the 25th.
A major issue is whether or not a nationwide event will be safely held for about four months in the Corona disaster.
The Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay will start in Fukushima Prefecture on the 25th, and approximately 10,000 runners will travel to 47 prefectures over 121 days.
At J-Village in Fukushima Prefecture, which is the first starting point, a departure ceremony will be held from 9 am, and it will be held without the general public to take measures against the new coronavirus.
As a countermeasure for the new corona, the Games Organizing Committee is calling for watching the torch relay live on the Internet and avoiding crowds along the road.
In addition, if the congestion that occurred along the roadside is not resolved, "skip" the place and proceed to the next, or if a cluster occurs in the operation staff, consider canceling the relay on the public road, etc. The policy is to give top priority.
On the other hand, some local governments have mentioned the cancellation of relays and the reduction of scale, and the situation is unusual due to the influence of the new corona, such as the continued decline of runners in various places.
Whether or not a nationwide event will be safely held for about four months in Corona is a major issue in fostering the momentum of the tournament.
What is the torch relay?
The Olympic Torch Relay is an event in which the torch collected by collecting sunlight in Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, is carried by relays in Greece and the host country with the aim of increasing the momentum for the Games. It will be brought to the main stadium of the Olympic torch where the opening ceremony will be held.
The first torch relay at the modern Olympics was held at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which was conceived by the then secretary-general of the Organizing Committee.
Since then, the torch relay has played an important role in spreading the spirit of the Olympic Games, such as peace and unity, and has become an indispensable event for competitions in which many people participate outside the host city.
Started in Fukushima prefecture and visited 47 prefectures
The Tokyo Olympics Holy Fire Relay started in Fukushima Prefecture, which aims to recover from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident, went south to Okinawa Prefecture, then went north to 47 prefectures, and finally in the host city of Tokyo. It will be held from July 9th to 23rd.
On the route,
▽ "Miracle Pine" that remained undisturbed by the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture
, and
▽
"Kumamoto Castle" that was severely damaged by the Kumamoto Earthquake five years ago, all over the country. We will visit places where we aim to recover from a disaster.
In addition,
▽
World Heritage Sites such as
"Itsukushima Shrine" and
▽ "Mt. Fuji"
in Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture
,
▽
Historical buildings such as
"Himeji Castle" in Hyogo Prefecture and
"Kintai Bridge" in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, etc. Also adds color to the Holy Fire Relay.
And
▽ "Hakuba Jump Stadium" where Japanese people played an active part at the 1998 Nagano Olympics,
▽ "Komazawa Olympic Park" where volleyball girls who attracted attention as Oriental Witches at the last Tokyo Olympics in 1964 played an active part, etc. You can also visit the places related to the Olympics.
Torch relay,
▽ Tokyo 15 days of the host city,
▽ and northeast of the affected three prefectures of the Great East Japan Earthquake, there is more than one Olympic competition venues of Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, each prefecture of Shizuoka is 3 days,
▽ other prefectures is It is 2 days.
The challenge is measures against the new corona
Since it is a major issue not to spread the infection of the new coronavirus in this torch relay, the Organizing Committee has compiled guidelines for countermeasures.
According to that, first of all, as a measure for the audience, refrain from cheering along the road except for the prefecture where you live, wear a mask on the road, cheer with applause instead of loud, and the state of the torch relay By watching live broadcasts on the Internet, it is said that it will avoid crowding along the road.
In addition, the number of people may be limited at ceremonies such as departure ceremonies, and as a general rule, advance reservations are required for the venue of the last ceremony of the day.
In addition, as a countermeasure for the torchbearer, from two weeks ago to the day of the event, we are required not to eat, avoid going out to crowded places, and wear a mask except when driving.
In addition, for celebrity runners who may be crowded with a large number of spectators along the road, we will run in a place where we can take measures against crowding.
On the other hand, if there is a state of emergency or a request to refrain from going out to the prefecture, the relay on the public road will be postponed, and only the ignition ceremony with no spectators at the final ceremony venue of the day will be held. It is said that the relay implementation method may be changed.
In addition to these proactive guidelines, the Organizing Committee publishes policies on what to do if something happens due to Corona.
According to this, the criteria for judging "crowded" along the road are set to the extent that many spectators touch their shoulders, and if the situation cannot be resolved even if the staff or public relations vehicles call for movement or dispersion, the location should be set. "Skip" and proceed to the next.
In addition, when an infected person is confirmed by the operation staff, etc., the scale of infection and the degree of impact are divided into three stages: small, medium, and large, and the number of infected persons and close contacts is about 1 or 2 "small". Then, operate as usual by changing the arrangement, consider a reduction plan in "medium" where it is difficult to substitute personnel, and cancel the relay on public roads in "large" when a group of infected people = clusters occur. I am considering.
In addition, if a cluster occurs in each prefecture, we will consider "skipping" as part of the route.
Some celebrities who decline runners
The torchbearer is selected by each prefecture and sponsor company through open recruitment and recommendation.
People who are active in various fields such as entertainment and sports are appointed as runners, and in the first Fukushima prefecture, in addition to the members of Japan's representative "Nadeshiko Japan" who won the 2011 Soccer Women's World Cup, NHK's Momoko Kikuchi, an actor who played the role of the main character's mother in the serial TV novel "Ale," and Shizu-chan, a laughing combination Nankai Candy's who appeared in the movie "Hula Girls" released in 2006, will run.
In addition, according to the announcement of each prefecture, in Gifu prefecture, the gold medalist of the women's marathon of the Sydney Olympics, Naoko Takahashi, and in Aichi prefecture, Hiroshi Amano of Nagoya University who won the Nobel Prize in Physics and Rena Matsui of the actor will run. It's a schedule.
On the other hand, runners declined one after another in various places, and Mr. Atsushi Tamura of "London Boots No. 1 and No. 2", a comedy combination that was scheduled to run in Aichi Prefecture, declined in response to the remarks of Mr. Morimae, the chairman of the Organizing Committee. Due to a series of events surrounding the Organizing Committee, men in their 50s in Fukushima Prefecture and women in their 20s in Nagasaki Prefecture also declined.
In addition, celebrity runners often decline due to schedule reasons, and according to local governments, actor Takako Tokiwa in Ishikawa prefecture, singer Hiroshi Itsuki in Fukui prefecture, and Tamura who played an active part in the Rugby World Cup in Tochigi prefecture. Yu players have declined.
Regarding this, the Organizing Committee explained that it took a long time to consider measures against crowding of about 600 celebrity runners and adjust the running place, so the informal notification of the running date and place was delayed in late February. In addition, I apologize, "I deeply apologize to all those who declined due to the schedule being inconvenient because of the last contact."
The torch that continued to be lit by the corona
The torch of the Tokyo Olympics has continued to be affected by the spread of the new coronavirus since March last year, and continues to this day.
The fire ceremony in Olympia, Greece, on March 12, last year, was the day after the WHO Secretary-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros, declared that "the new corona is a pandemic."
The ceremony was held without spectators to prevent the spread of the infection, and Mizuki Noguchi, a gold medalist of the Athens Olympics Women's Marathon, also participated in the torch relay that started immediately after the fire ceremony.
As the infection continues to spread all over the world, there is growing concern that the torch relay and the upcoming tournament can be held four months later, and the then chairman of the Organizing Committee, Mr. Mori, will not bring the torch to Japan. I decided that the tournament could be canceled.
On March 19, the torch was handed over from the Greek side to the Japanese side, and the torch on the special transport plane arrived at the Air Self-Defense Force Matsushima Air Base in Miyagi Prefecture on the following 20th.
After that, on March 24, following the spread of the infection worldwide, then Prime Minister Abe and Chairman Bach of the IOC = International Olympic Committee met, and it was decided to postpone the Tokyo Games for one year.
It was a decision two days before the torch relay began.
The torch, which had to wait for a year, was stored in Tokyo, and on July 23, last year, it was unveiled by Rikako Ikee, a swimmer, at a ceremony held one year before the opening after the postponement.
The torch continued to be lit as the new corona did not converge and there were constant doubts about the holding of the tournament.
NHK Internet live broadcast for 121 days daily
With this torch relay, NHK will carry out a live broadcast of the Internet, where you can watch the relay on your computer or smartphone, every day for 121 days.
You can watch live video by accessing NHK's special website for the Tokyo Olympics and selecting the item for the torch relay.
Not all torchbearers can be introduced in this live broadcast.
(NHK Olympic Torch Relay HP)
https://sports.nhk.or.jp/olympic/torch/