Yipee! It’s International Olympic Day - Tokyo 2016
Thousands came out to celebrate the Olympic Day celebrations hosted by Tokyo 2016 earlier this month, before the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) set off for International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne where the four bid cities for the 2016 Games face question and answer sessions with IOC members.
The JOC hosted the Olympic Day Run on June 7. The 5-km Fun Run was open to the general public. They also hosted an evening of classical music to jointly celebrate International Olympic Day and Tokyo 2016, where they also had a ceremony honouring some of Japan’s top athletes with JOC Sport Awards. Thousands of people turned out for the event.
Perhaps it’s the support the JOC received on these celebrations that made for a confident bid presentation. Dr. Ichiro Kono, Chair and CEO of Tokyo 2016 said, “after two symbolic Olympic Day events held earlier this month, today we call on the citizens of Japan, Asia, and the world to unite together in a spirit of peace, international fellowship, and our mutual passion for sport. In celebrating International Olympic Day, Tokyo 2016 reaffirms its commitment to the Olympic Movement and to setting the stage for heroes through a Games in the heart of the city”. The JOC, post-IOC question period, said they are even more confident about 2016 bid.
Tokyo 2016: ‘Setting the Stage for Heroes: City’ (Lausanne IOC Presentation Video,2009)
Tokyo 2016 also had more to celebrate this month, with the announcement that Tokyo is one of the world’s most liveable cities, according to a top international briefing covering current affairs, business, culture and design.
What is Olympic Day?
It was on this day, 115 years ago, that the modern Olympic movement was born at the Sorbonne University in Paris. On June 23, 1894, young Pierre de Coubertin (photo:right) and his supporters revived the Olympic Games and created the International Olympic Committee (IOC), believing in the power of sports and culture to unite the world in peace, to compete in friendship with dignity and respect, and celebrate the joy of effort.
Talk about friendly competition…
Tokyo 2016 Ambassador Kanpei Hazama dropped by the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee’s HQ on June 11, as part of his 36,000km ‘Earth Marathon’. Kanpei’s is also set to visit 2016 Candidate City Madrid and arrive in Copenhagen on October 2, in time to support Tokyo at the 2016 Host City vote.
Upon arrival in Chicago, Kanpei sent his best wishes in the spirit of Olympism saying he hoped “to inspire people from across the globe with the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect”.
