Governor Koike of Tokyo greeted the event 100 days before the Tokyo Olympics and expressed his intention to suppress the new coronavirus during the period of "priority measures such as prevention of spread" and prepare for the event.
At the event held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the statue of the tournament mascot was unveiled.
Governor Koike said, "Currently, Tokyo is in a period of so-called priority measures, and during this period we will firmly suppress the corona. After such an important period, we will hold a tournament with you 100 days later and practice repeatedly. I sincerely hope that it will be a wonderful tournament for athletes from Japan and abroad. "
He added, "The reason for the one-year postponement of the tournament is the struggle with the invisible enemy, Corona, which is a big challenge for humankind, but for that reason, we will hold it beyond the struggle and make it a memorable tournament."
In addition, Governor Koike said, "In the remaining 100 days, I would like to make steady preparations while combining both the fine and the bold."
Unveiling of monument over one year on Mt. Takao
At the summit of Mt. Takao in Hachioji, Tokyo, a monument of the Olympic symbol consisting of five wheels was set up.
It is 3 meters wide and 1.8 meters high, and uses cedar from the Tama area for the sides and base of the ring.
It was set up from the summit of Mt. Takao, one of Tokyo's leading tourist destinations, to boost the momentum for the tournament.
The monument was made by a company in Saitama prefecture and was scheduled to be installed in April last year, but it will be unveiled for over a year because the tournament has been postponed.
It was unfortunate weather today, but on a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji over the monument.
However, since the space on the mountaintop is limited and the mountain climbing season is approaching, the city has decided to assign staff to prevent crowds as an infection prevention measure.
The monument will be set up until August 8th.
In Fukushima Prefecture, where baseball and software are held
In Fukushima Prefecture, where baseball and softball are held, flags were raised at JR Fukushima Station to improve momentum for the tournament.
On the 14th, just 100 days before the opening ceremony, around the prefectural Azuma Stadium in Fukushima City and at JR Fukushima Station, there are crimson and indigo colors with the Olympic logo that can only be used by the local government where the competition is held. Installation of color banners, flags, and banners has begun.
Of these, at the station square of JR Fukushima Station, a contractor commissioned by Fukushima City installed flags on street lights from the morning of the 14th.
Soichiro Tanji, Deputy Chief of the Fukushima City Promotion Office of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, said, "Although we cannot expect the new coronavirus to converge, we would like to prepare firmly for a safe and secure competition as the host municipality." I was talking.
Difficult decisions about events in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where soccer is held
"Kashima Stadium" in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is one of the soccer competition venues for the Tokyo Olympics, and 11 games are scheduled.
The city planned its own hospitality events in two places, such as around "Kashima Jingu", in order to promote the charm of the city on the assumption that spectators from home and abroad would gather.
Last year, before the postponement of the Olympic Games was decided, the event company was asked to estimate the cost of setting up, and even after the postponement, the budget for the event was secured.
However, last month it was decided to abandon the acceptance of spectators from overseas, and there are still many uncertainties such as the upper limit of the number of spectators, and the city is forced to make a difficult decision whether to carry out the event as originally planned.
Hideki Osawa, Chief of the Kashima City Olympic and Paralympic Division, said, "The work is delayed by about 3 to 4 months from the original. Since we cannot waste taxes, we are delaying event-related orders to the last minute. The city has no choice but to prepare steadily because it can assume that the audience will visit. "
Meanwhile, the company, which was asked by the city for a quote for setting up an event stage, submitted a quote last March, but has been unable to prepare since then.
Last year, due to the impact of the new coronavirus, events were canceled one after another, and sales fell to one-third of the average year, so we are looking forward to Olympic-related events.
Akihiro Murotani, CEO of the event company, said, "I want the event to be held even if it gets smaller. I would like to wait for a reply from the city to make the event a success."
Volunteer "Hospitality even for domestic people"
Tatsuo Kayama (69), one of the volunteers recruited by Kashima City, has been studying English for the first time in 50 years so that he can guide overseas audiences.
Mr. Kayama, who was in the sixth grade at the time of the last Tokyo Olympics, applied for volunteers to be involved in this Olympics in some way.
Mr. Kayama was disappointed with the abandonment of accepting spectators from overseas, but he understood that it was unavoidable. I want to go. "
On the other hand, Shinako Ejiri, who belongs to the Chigiri-e circle that draws various patterns on torn Japanese paper, has made a Uchiwa with Chigiri-e so that visitors from overseas can get familiar with Japanese culture.
Mt. Fuji and Kashima City's flower "Hamanasu" are drawn on the uchiwa, which means that 500 have already been made.
Mr. Ejiri, who has been the center of the production, said, "I was looking forward to giving it to overseas people, but I would like to give a Uchiwa to domestic people alone with a spirit of hospitality."