Tokyo, Wednesday @PeopleSport11
Tokyo promised a high-tech Olympics complete with robots as it marked a year to go until the 2020 Games on Wednesday, hoping to leave behind some bumps in the road including an ongoing corruption investigation.
Organisers have battled everything from fears over deadly heat to persistent questions about the cost of the Games and how Tokyo won its bid.
But as the one-year countdown began, they touted speedy progress on venue construction and pledged a historic Games.
“I can truly say I have never seen an Olympic city as prepared as Tokyo, with one year to go before the Olympic games,” said International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach at a ceremony Wednesday.
“All the elements that make a truly outstanding Olympic Games are in place,” he added, predicting “an amazing experience” for athletes.
Officials pointed to “unprecedented” ticket sales and applications by 200,000 people for just 80,000 volunteer positions as evidence of building excitement for the Games.
“The six years since Tokyo was picked have zipped by, but I’m glad that preparations have gone very smoothly,” Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, before the symbolic handing-out of invitations to national Olympic committees.
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said Bach praised the speed of the city’s preparations as “an Olympic record”.
High-tech showcase
Half of the new permanent venues have been completed, and organisers say construction of the rest is on track.
Tokyo residents lined up for hours to try out Olympic sports at one of the events to celebrate the landmark.
Twelve-year-old Yukimasa Nakahara queued from 5:30 am with his mother for the chance to pitch baseballs.
“I’m looking forward to the Olympics... We’ve won tickets for a baseball game for the bronze medal,” he told AFP with a big smile.
While cooler weather this summer has assuaged fears raised by a deadly heatwave last year, organisers say they have a raft of safety measures planned in case temperatures soar.
Tactics from misting towers to flower beds, which don’t radiate heat, and which organisers say also have a “psychological” cooling effect, will be tested this week at a beach volleyball event.
With the countdown under way, organisers have also been stepping up efforts to promote the Games as a showcase for Japan’s high-tech know-how. -AFP
