| 49 Although Pierre de Coubertin said that it’s more important to take part than to win, theworld’s best athletes will be coming to Tokyo to triumph in theOlympics. Nobody wants tobejustanobserver.Ofcourse, itwon’tbeeasy for themintheslightest, but there is still plentyof time until the Olympic torch is o cially ignited. That’s why the article in front of youwon’t be dedicated to those who will play the lead roles in Tokyo, rather to those whogivetheirall toensurethat theleadactorswillonly need tocareabout their resultswhen theyemergeon the big stage. Let’s start from the beginning… This Japanese city was o cially selected to host the 2020Olympics inBuenosAireson7th September2013, beatingo thechallengesofMadridandIstanbul.This will bethesecondtimethatTokyowill host theGames (the rst being in 1964). For a start, if you’re a sports lover and you don’t know what you’ll be doing next year from24th Julyto9th August, youcansignuptovolunteer – with the organisers having announced that they need 80,000 volunteers from around the world to ensure that this event unfolds in the best possible order. Of course, you need to know before you apply that you will not be paid for this job and that you will need to secure your own accommodation in Japan. You will receivefoodandauniformfromorganisers. The mascotsarealreadyknown,andwerechosen–believeitornot–by vemillionchildrenfromJapan.The nal selectionswere Miraitowa–theo cialmascotof the2020 Summer Olympics – and Someity, the o - cialmascotof the2020SummerParalympics. ThenameMiraitowawas createdby combining theJapanesewords for thefutureandeternity.Both mascotsrepresentacombinationof traditionandinnovation.Thechoiceof theo cial logohasbeendogged bynumerouscontroversies.Victory–after14,599proposals –went todesigner AsaoTokolo, whodesigned a ring-shaped logo that has a chessboardmotif with threevarietiesof indigobluerectangular shapes that symbolise countries and cultures. Now, we all know that Japan leads the way in innovations related to energy saving, which is why organisers will use wind power and solar energy to power stadiums and other ancillary facilities. Everything will be recycled and reused following the culmination of the Olympics. Japan is currently testing kilometres of new roadways inTokyo that contain solar panels over which a special protective material is placed to ena- OTOKIJU From 24th July to 9th August next year, the world will enjoy sporting maestros and the magic of those who’ve devoted their entire lives to training various sports. And they will only have only one thing on their mind - to become heroes of the Olympic Games iStock / yongyuan
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