News

Dear Fellow Athletes

Hope you are doing well and we wonder how you are spending your days at troubled times like this.

No one could ever have begun to imagine how bewildered and irritated you are that you are losing your opportunity to train like you used to, not being able to take part in competitions in the year you have been assured to become a success, after putting everything into preparation to be able to run 0.1 second faster, to throw 1cm longer, to jump 1cm higher, to lift 1kg more and to score 1 point more for this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

However we all must not be defeated.

We must look forward and move forward.

Tokyo2020, together with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, have committed for the 23rd July and the 24th August openings for next year instead of cancelling the Games.

All the Tokyo2020 staff members have united and started preparing how we can best safeguard the athletes and the competition environment after the world overcame the threat from COVID-19.

It has been a little more than 6 years since the establishment of the Tokyo2020 Organising Committee and we are determined not to waste what we have built up until now, rather we will take advantage of it and do what we can at this moment.

I believe the mindset on your end is same.

The reason why we could look forward, is that we have a mission to prepare a place next year where you can achieve your best; and that has become the motivation of ours.

We guarantee that the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year will be phenomenal.

But for you and us, we must put the protection of the health as the top priority at the moment.

Let us overcome together and see you in Tokyo!

Koji Murofushi
Sports Director,
Tokyo2020
Hammer Throw Gold Medalist at Athens2004

Hide Nakamura
Games Delivery Officer,
Executive Director, Sports Bureau,
Tokyo2020