Today, to mark 100 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay begins, the Japanese capital’s famous Skytree landmark was illuminated in the colours of the Olympic torch, while the Organising Committee confirmed plans for the municipalities along the route.
This included confirmation of all the municipalities that will participate in the Olympic Torch Relay in 2021, along with details of the planned celebration venues.
Starting on 25 March 2021 from the J-Village National Training Centre in Fukushima, the Olympic torch will travel through 859 municipalities, across all 47 prefectures, for 121 days before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo for the Opening Ceremony on 23 July.
As 2021 will mark the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay will showcase the recovery of the areas worst affected by the disaster. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will additionally symbolise the light at the end of the dark tunnel in which humanity currently finds itself: a beacon of hope for the world in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Games, themselves a symbol of resilience and an example of how humankind is stronger together.
A number of COVID-19 countermeasures will be implemented along the route to ensure that the events run safely and securely. Details of the Olympic Torch Relay route and celebration sites along the way are available on the official Tokyo 2020 website, with more detailed route information available from February 2021.