Mascots Ready for Tokyo Debut

(ATR) Tokyo’s mascots will be presented to the world and named two years to go to the 2020 Olympics.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed the mascot’s appearances on July 24 as part of a countdown event to celebrate two years to the Games. Both the TMG and Tokyo 2020 will co-host the event at Tokyo Skytree Town.

A naming ceremony on July 22 will be the mascots' first appearance after being selected this February after a voting project from schoolchildren around Japan. At the Tokyo Midtown Hibiya the mascots will be publicly shown for the first time after a short animated film detailing their creation.

The two pointy-eared mascots embody "both old tradition and new innovation," according to Tokyo 2020 officials. The pair was created by Japanese illustrator Ryo Taniguchi, and received more than 100,000 votes from schoolchildren.

"I cannot wait to see these two characters coming to life in the stadiums, on the streets and on TV," Ryohei Miyata, chair of the mascot selection panel, said in a statement following the unveiling. "I believe this is an excellent choice since Tokyo 2020's branding vision is ‘innovation from harmony’, which implies that innovation will occur when the old and the new of Tokyo and Japan come together."

According to the TMG the countdown event will have "Tokyo 2020 sponsors and Olympic venue cities' booths and exhibits, [and a] competitive event experiences for visitors". The mascots will also be available for pictures with Tokyoites.

To mark the exact minute of the two year to go threshold, the mascots will lead the crowd in a dance to "Tokyo Gorin Ondo 2020," the official song of the Games.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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