Tokyo 2020 Picks Mascot Selection Team

(ATR) A group of 14 artists, athletes and executives are tasked with developing the selection process for the Tokyo 2020 mascot.

Tokyo 2020 organizers say the process will be determined by the end of March and submitted to the International Olympic Committee for approval.

The commission will meet for the first time on Jan. 17 and is expected to hold six meetings before the mascot is selected.

The need to hold a transparent and independent selection process for the Olympic mascot was fueled by controversy over the original design of the Tokyo 2020 logo. This design by Kenjiro Sano allegedly plagiarized a theater logo in Belgium and was scrapped by the organizing committee.

A 21-member emblem selection committee was initiated to choose a new, original design out of nearly 15,000 entries from the Japanese public. The committee whittled down the entries in stages until a final selection was made approximately seven months after the previous design was decommissioned.

Now the mascot selection examination council is charged with developing another top icon of the Tokyo 2020 Games. A successful and likeable Olympic mascot can lead to millions in revenue for both organizers of the Games and its marketing partners.

The mascot council is chaired by Ryohei Miyata who also presided over the emblem selection commission. He is joined by Yoshiko Ikoma, Shoko Nakagawa, Yasuko Anbiru, Akari-Lisa Ishii, Kazuko Ishikawa, Toshiya Kakiushi, Tatsuo Miyanami, Ai Sugiyama, Aki Taguchi, Takeshi Natsuno, Izumi Hayashi, Akihiro Hino and Kazuo Rikukawa. Five of the members including Miyata were also members of the emblem selection commission.

With its selection, the Tokyo 2020 mascot will join the Nagano 1998 Snowlets as the only mascots in Japan’s Olympic history. Neither the Tokyo 1964 Summer Games nor the Sapporo 1972 Winter Games had mascots.

Rumored candidates for the role include icons of Japan such as Godzilla, the Japanese Akita dog and famous video game characters Mario or Sonic.

While Godzilla may represent a politically incorrect choice, the movie monster is an iconic figure in Japan. The Japanese Akita has a storied past in Japanese lore with several tales of loyalty and bravery, making it a strong contender.

The plethora of characters that have originated from Japan’s wealth of video game history could also provide strong financial gains. Mario and Sonic are just two examples that have already been featured in several Olympic themed games and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared as Mario during the flag handover ceremony during the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony.

The mascots for the Rio 2016 Games were selected in November 2014, nearly two years ahead of the Olympics. Tokyo 2020 seems to be ahead of schedule in determining what will be one of its most memorable icons.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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