(ATR) The Olympic rings are back on display in Tokyo Bay.
A barge carrying the giant floating monument was towed back into Odaiba Marine Park on Tuesday.
It was removed in August to undergo safety inspections and maintenance ahead of the postponed Tokyo Olympics.
The refurbish, which includes a new coat of paint, was necessary because the rings were only expected to be on display until the end of the originally scheduled Olympics in August 2020. It was first set up in January 2020.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which calls the rings the "Olympic Symbol", says the monument will remain in place through the end of the postponed Olympic Games on August 8, 2021. After the Olympics, the rings and the barge will be replaced with the Paralympic Symbol in mid-August ahead of the Paralympics, which begin on August 24, 2021.
Beginning December 1, the Olympic Symbol will be illuminated in the evening until midnight through mid-July. At that point, it will be lit throughout the night from 7pm to 5am until the Olympics end on August 8.
The monument, which is 32.6 meters (107 feet) wide and 15.3 meters (50 feet) high, weighs 69 tons. It sits on a barge that is 50 meters (164 feet) long and 18 meters (59 feet) wide.
Homepage photo: Tokyo 2020
Written by Gerard Farek
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