On July 23, the XXXII Summer Olympic Games were started in Tokyo (Japan). We collected some of the most interesting facts about this global sports event.
- The XXXII Summer Olympic Games were scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9, 2020. But they were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The name of the Games “Tokyo-2020” has been retained for marketing purposes.
- Tokyo was selected to host the XXXII Summer Olympic Games on September 7th, 2013 at the 125th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- The Japanese capital was ahead of Istanbul (Turkey) and Madrid (Spain) in the voting. Previously, Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics for the only time.
- It was decided that up to 10.000 foreigners, as well as Japanese citizens, would be able to watch the competition from the stands. Thus, 724 out of 750 competitions of the current Olympics will be held with empty stands.
- The program of the Olympic Games in Tokyo includes 33 sports, uniting 50 disciplines. Baseball and softball were brought back on the Olympic roster, which has not been a part of the Games program since 2008.
- For the current Olympics, the IOC has included 4 new sports – karate, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing. Previously, these sports were not represented at the Olympic level.
- Competitions are being held at 43 sports facilities – 25 existing earlier, eight new and 10 constructed temporary. Most of them are concentrated in 2 geographic clusters – Heritage (central Tokyo) and Tokyo Bay (coastal areas).
- Matches of the Olympic football tournament also take place at stadiums in other cities: Yokohama, Kasima, Rifu, Saitama, and Sapporo.
- The area of the Olympic Village, located on the shores of Tokyo Bay, is about 44 hectares. It is designed for the simultaneous accommodation of 18.000 athletes and other members of the Olympic teams.
- About 12.500 athletes from more than 205 countries are participating in the Olympics. The largest team (613 athletes) represents the United States. The German national team has 430 Olympians.
- At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, will compete 142 open LGBT athletes. It is more than several LGBT Olympians, who competed in all Summer Olympics combined.
- It is expected that at the Games 2020, will be taken the record number of doping tests from athletes – 5000. Withing Olympics in Rio 2016, WADA took 4930 samples – both during the Games themselves and during the out-of-competition period.
- Samples of doping tests collected in Tokyo 2020 will be kept in a centralized repository in Switzerland for up to 10 years. They will be re-analyzed in the future after new methods of detecting illegal drugs become available.
- In total, 339 sets of medals will be awarded in Tokyo. It is higher by 33 than at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
- Winners and prizewinners will receive awards for recycled electronics. Japanese people collected used household appliances for the production of Olympic and Paralympic medals.
- From recycled electronics were acquired 32 kg of gold, 3500 kg of silver, and 2200 kg of bronze. This was enough for 5.000 Olympic medals.
- The medals will be disinfected and placed on a tray before the awards ceremony. The winners will collect their awards themselves. Handshakes, hugs, kisses, or bouquets are not provided.
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- Due to pandemic participants are prohibited from using city public transport, visiting cultural sites, clubs, restaurants, and attractions in the Japanese capital, and interacting with residents.
- The DPRK refused to participate in the Games due to the situation with the coronavirus in Japan. On July 21, the Ministry of Sports of Guinea also announced the refusal, but the next day it canceled its decision.
- Due to holding the Games without spectators, the organizing committee will receive less than $ 1.2 billion. Total damage to the hotel business in Japan may amount to $ 456 million.
- The youngest participant in the Games is 12-year-old Syrian Hand Zaza, who competes in table tennis. In March 2020, she became the winner of the West Asian Olympics, defeated 42-year-old Lebanese representative Mariana Sahakyan.
- The oldest athlete is 66-year-old Australian Mary Hannah, who will compete in equestrian sports. She has previously competed at the Olympic Games five times.
- Talisman of the Olympic Games received the name Miraytov, based on the Japanese words “peace” (future) and Tova(eternity). The Paralympic symbol was named after Someichi – after the name of popular sakura variety, consonant with the English “So mighty”.
- The IOC at a session in Tokyo approved the change in the text of the motto of the Olympic Games. Now it will sound like this: “Faster, higher, stronger – together”.
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The total budget for the Tokyo Games is $ 15.4 billion. The staff involved in the Olympics contains about 190.000 people, including volunteers.
So were facts about the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which make them unique and special. What was most surprising for you?
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