Tokyo 2020 Grabs BATON

(ATR) Timber from 62 municipalities will be used to construct the Tokyo 2020 Athletes' Village Plaza.

Tokyo 2020 organizers launched the Building Athletes’ village with Timber Of the Nation, or BATON, program. Timber from all over Japan is being collected by Games’ organizers for the plaza construction.

The plaza will be used during the Games for team welcome events, as well as medal ceremonies. It will contain "a media centre, cafés, florists and general shops," according to a Tokyo 2020 release.

After the Games, the timber will be returned to the municipalities to be recycled.

"’Sustainability’ and ‘engaging all of Japan’ are the key driving forces behind this project," a Tokyo 2020 release said about the program.

Earlier this year Tokyo 2020 came under fire from activists, who raised claims that wood being used for the National Stadium could have come from illegally logged forests in Malaysia. At the center of the controversy was the company Shin Yang, which supplied wood for the stadium. Shin Yang was criticized for being "deeply implicated in the illegal logging of rainforests on Borneo," according to an online petition.

In response to the allegations, Tokyo 2020 released a statement saying that "the plywood in question has been certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification," a non-profit that works to promote sustainable forestry.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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