Tokyo 2020 Goes to Revitalized Fukushima

(ATR) Tokyo Olympic officials toured a newly opened sports complex in Fukushima Prefecture, before holding a meeting of its executive board.

The J-Village soccer complex in Fukushima recently reopened after being destroyed during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. According to local media reports, the center had been closed for over seven years, and was re-christened with a friendly soccer match between two local high school teams. The center had served as a national youth soccer training center for Japan.

"We wanted a source of hope for the nation and now our dreams are coming true and we are seeing a gradual revival of the disaster-hit areas," Yoshiro Mori, Tokyo 2020 President, said following the executive board meeting according to Reuters.

"We are able to show to the world what we have been able to accomplish so far and where we are headed in terms of the reconstruction efforts since the disaster."

Tokyo 2020 has emphasized recovery of the Tohoku region during Olympic preparations. The opening game for the baseball and softball tournaments will be played in Fukushima. The 2020 Olympic Torch Relay will start for three days in Fukushima, and spend three days each in both Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures later in the relation.

Daylight Saving Proposal

Organizers discussed different measures in an effort to combat the summer heat for the Olympics, including changing the clocks during the Games.

Yoshiro Mori told reporters that Tokyo 2020 visited with the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the national government and proposed a daylight saving time measure for the Games. In the summer in Tokyo the sun rises at around 4:30 am, leaving plenty of time for the temperature to rise ahead of 7 am start times for morning events.

"Japan happens to be the only country amongst the major developed nations that do not implement daylight saving time so we do need some kind of an occasion or opportunity to get started on this," Mori said. "Before we run out of time, the government needs to take this issue seriously to consider daylight saving time."

Ceremonies Creative Team

Tokyo 2020 announced the creative team that will direct and produce the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Mansai Nomura, a well known Japanese kyogen traditional comedic actor, was tapped to be chief executive creative director for the four ceremonies.

Takashi Yamazaki, director of the acclaimed Japanese film "Always: Sunset on Third Street," will serve as executive creative director for the two Olympic ceremonies. Hiroshi Sasaki, who was the creative supervisor for the Tokyo 2020 handover performance at the Rio 2016 closing ceremony, will be executive creative director for the two Paralympic ceremonies.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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