#ICYMI: Tokyo Torch Secrecy; Sion 2026 Split Support; Paralympic Pressures for Tokyo

#ICMYI -- In Case You Missed It ... Sometimes the best stories don't get the attention we think they deserve. Here are our staff picks for articles this week they really want you to know about.

Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Shrouded in Secrecy

We only know the barest of details about plans for the Olympic torch relay for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

A slogan has been chosen. Special recognition to the earthquake region will be given. Many thousands of torchbearers will be chosen. The exact route is unknown.

Organizers say nearly all will be revealed next year.

It could be one of the longest in duration because Tokyo 2020 is proposing 130 days instead of the 100 requested by the IOC. Given the thousands of hamlets, villages, towns and cities across Japan, organizers face a complex task bringing the flame to as many people as possible. Every one of the 47 prefectures will be part of the relay.

In 1964, the relay for the first Olympics in Japan lasted just two months. In order to cover the country in that time, the flame was split into four. Each traveled to a different region before recombining into one flame the day of opening ceremony.

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Split Support for Sion 2026

The Swiss government reiterates its support for Sion 2026 as a new poll indicates the bid faces an uphill battle to convince the public to back it.

The Swiss Federal Council asked the country’s parliament on Wednesday to approve spending up to $1 billion on a bid to host the 2026 Winter Games. The council initially endorsed the bid last October. The upper and lower houses of the Swiss parliament will debate and vote on the funding later in the year.

By then, such a discussion could be moot if a June 10 referendum in the canton of Valais fails to pass muster with the voters.

The latest poll, released on Tuesday, showed 58 percent of those questioned said they would vote "no" or "probably no" on funding the Sion 2026 bid. A poll released earlier this month had shown an almost even split.

Bid leaders are not letting the apparent slide in support deter them.

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Deadline Pressures for Tokyo Paralympics

A Tokyo Metropolitan Government official tellsAround the Ringsthe IPC warned the city about staying ahead of impending deadlines to make sure it is ready for the Paralympic Games.

Last week, the International Paralympic Committee visited Tokyo as part of a regular project review. A variety of topics were discussed, but the IPC warned Tokyo about its Paralympic budget and dearth of accessible hotel rooms.

The official told ATR TMG officials "were able to discuss wide-ranging topics" with the IPC during the review and was "fortunate" for any advice.

"The IPC commented that they acknowledged the significance of the long-term, legacy-related initiatives undertaken by the national government and the TMG by reviewing standards and providing budgetary assistance," the official said. "On the other hand, with just about two years to go before the Games, they expressed concern about how we will deal with the needs of the Games and whether we will be ready in time."

The Tokyo 2020 project has undergone wholesale changes since being awarded the Games by the IOC in 2013. Following the 2016 Olympics newly-elected Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike commissioned a review of the Games’ budget following projections Tokyo 2020 could cost up to $30 billion. The IOC became concerned with proposed plans to relocate a number of venues around Japan to save money and quickly pushed for four-party talks to discuss the program.

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