More than 30,000 lanterns lit up Tokyo Bay yesterday in a show of support for Japan’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The annual Lantern by the Bay Festival takes place at the Odaiba Marine Park, the proposed site of the Triathlon and Marathon Swimming competitions, and was billed as a Tokyo 2020 support event this year, demonstrating yet again the Japanese people’s passion for promoting sport and their desire to host Games of excellence, excitement and respect.
Japanese Olympic swimming champion Ai Shibata, the Athens 2004 women's 800-metre freestyle gold medallist, led the light-up ceremony, while supporters unveiled a special illumination for Tokyo 2020 – the bid emblem crafted in lights, symbolising the world united as one, the aspirations to bring the 2020 Games to Tokyo, and the anticipation of a global festival dedicated to sport, culture and world peace.
Masa Takaya
Communications Manager, Japanese Olympic Committee
Acting Communications Director, Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee
Hiromi Sato
Manager, International Communications, Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee
Phone: 03-6279-0049 / Fax: 03-6279-0157 / pressoffice@tokyo2020.jp
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
20 Years at #1:
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
