Following the completion of the first day of the Tokyo Olympic torch relay, which started in Fukushima Prefecture on the 25th, the Games Organizing Committee met and said, "I think it went well. There were no major problems." It was.
The Tokyo Olympic torch relay started at "J Village" in Fukushima Prefecture, the area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, after 9:30 am on the 25th.
During the relay, there was a problem of reigniting because the torch was extinguished, but 100 runners ran through 10 cities, towns and villages in Fukushima prefecture and finished all the steps on the first day after 5 pm.
After that, the Organizing Committee met in Tokyo, and Secretary-General Muto said, "I am very pleased that the time has begun to move again after a year. It went as planned. There were no major problems, "he recalled on the first day.
The Organizing Committee is calling for visitors to avoid crowds along the road as a countermeasure for the new corona, but Secretary-General Muto said, "I know that there were people who were watching along the road in front of JR Iwaki Station. We couldn't secure a sufficient distance from front to back, left and right, and we weren't in a dense state of folding into multiple rows. "
However, on the roadside on the 25th, he said, "There were some people running alongside the runners and dangerous behavior, so I called out for caution."
Regarding the trouble that the torch was extinguished, "We are investigating the cause, but assuming that this will happen, we always accompany a spare fire in the lantern. There is no particular problem because it is continued as it is with. "
Professor Kida, Chukyo University "In a place where the attitude of society is tested"
Professor Keiko Kida of Chukyo University, who is familiar with the philosophy and history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and was newly appointed as a director of the Games Organizing Committee this month, said, "It is necessary for both the runners of the torch relay and the people concerned to be very nervous. It will be 121 days, and of course it is important to take measures against infection, but with the decline of celebrities and the temperature difference between local governments, I think that it will be a place where the attitude of society will be tested. Originally, the movement to create a better society, such as promoting gender equality and diversity, is the most important factor, but I think it is still insufficient. "
Regarding the meaning and history of the torch relay, Mr. Kita said, "The torch relay started at the 1936 Berlin Games, but the pure desire for happiness and peace and the intention to politically use the gathering of people are intertwined. Since ancient Greek times, the torch of the torch has been a symbol of a happy life that brings people a warm life, as well as a tool of battle. There is also an aspect that symbolizes the treatment of science in society. I think it is up to us to connect the torch or make it a political tool for the well-being of individuals and society. "
On top of that, what is required in the future is, "Why do you hold the Tokyo Games? It is necessary to have a dialogue based on the grounds and predictions of the results for both holding and canceling, but it cannot be said that this is true in Corona. There is a situation. There are criticisms that the event is proceeding as it is held. There are various ways to hold it, such as holding it without spectators, so it is multifaceted, whether it is in terms of infection control or the Olympic movement. I think it is necessary for the Organizing Committee to show the judgment material including the process so that it can make a decision. "