We Are Tomodachi Winter 2016

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24The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held just four years from now in 2020. The Tokyo Olympics will consist of 33 events; five sports have been newly added, including baseball, softball, and skateboard. The Paralympics will consist of 22 events. Tokyo will be hosting the Games for the second time, the first having been in 1964. The Tokyo Organizing Committee has proclaimed three basic concepts as its vision for the Games: “Achieving Personal Best,” “Unity in Diversity,” and “Connecting to Tomorrow.”The hammer thrower Koji Murofushi, an Olympic gold medalist who has participated in four Olympic Games, has been appointed sports director of the Tokyo Organizing Committee. “Unlike world championships for a single sport,” he says, “the Olympics and Paralympics feature many sports going on at the same time. Athletes compete fairly in optimal venues and are watched by people around the world. Furthermore, the athletes live together in the Olympic Village; this gives rise to interaction among them transcending sports and nationalities. Since these are the greatest attractions of the Olympics and Paralympics, the first priority for the organizers is to arrange venues and an Olympic Village to be proud of, working in tandem with related organizations and individuals.”From the point of view of the Paralympics, it is also necessary to enhance accessibility for all athletes and spectators. “Tokyo is one of the leading cities in the world in terms of the development of its public transport infra-structure, including its subway network, which stretches far and wide in all directions,” Murofushi says. “But in preparation for the Tokyo Games in 2020, it will become an even more accessible and inclusive city for all people.”Thanks to the smooth operation of this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, an increased number of new world records were set. At the closing ceremony for the Rio 2016 Olympics Japan conveyed its changing image and expectations for the Tokyo Games in 2020 with an appearance by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the character Mario from the Super Mario video game series and an impressive performance, fusing state-of-the-art technology and Aiming for Games in Which All Athletes Can Perform Their Very BestWarming Up for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic GamesCredits: 1. Courtesy of Tokyo 2020 2. Design Works and Construction Works of Taisei Corporation, Azusa Sekkei Co., and Kengo Kuma and Association JV/Courtesy of JSC 3. Photo by Reuters/Aflo 4&5. Photo by Tokyo 2020/Shugo Takemi1. The official emblems for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020 feature three different rectangular shapes, symbolizing the message of “unity in diversity” of nationality, culture, and thought. 2. New venues are being constructed for the Tokyo Games in 2020. The New National Stadium will combine a traditional Japanese timber structure and a hybrid structure taking advantage of the merits of steel-frame construction. Spectators will be greeted by a harmonious Japanese-style space enveloped in timber.12

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