The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) on Sunday unveiled the torchbearer uniforms that will be worn by participants in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic torch relay. Based on the Torch Relay’s concept “Share Your Light”, and incorporating the core Tokyo 2020 checkered motif, the design of the uniform embodies the vision of new partnerships between humans, and between humans and society.
During the torch relay, flames will be lit separately in each of the 47 prefectures of Japan, as well as Stoke Mandeville, the Paralympic movement’s birthplace in Great Britain, and the flames will be merged into a single flame in Tokyo before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The design of the uniform is intended to reflect the way flames are converging from all over Japan, and the enthusiasm of the various groups of torchbearers who will proudly carry them. Moreover, the checkered pattern has traditionally been considered to bring good fortune in Japan, and in this design it is used to depict the light emitted by the Paralympic flame.
Each individual flame increases its brightness as it merges with the following flame; when all of the flames have come together into a single flame, they shine with a new harmonious light. Throughout the relay, they will build excitement and expectation in anticipation of the opening of the Paralympics Games.
Daisuke Obana, uniform design director, commented, “The idea behind this design is that the flames congregating from all over Japan are expressed with the traditional ichimatsu checkered pattern, which has traditionally been regarded as a symbol of good fortune in Japan. Its aim is to help express the thoughts and enthusiasm of the groups of three torchbearers. I hope that excitement for the Paralympic Games will build up nationwide and around the world with the thoughts and enthusiasm of the runners wearing these uniforms.”
© Japan Today
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Alex Einz
wait sec... so are these two fat guys mentally disabled? if that so i guess its ok..
Alex Einz
Horrible, is that yellow sweat ? or just dirt? and couldnt they find someone at least a bit in shape for the model? that guy wouldnt be able to run even 1km...
Derek Grebe
I agree with the posters above. The delectable Satomi Ishihara usually holds my attention – even when she tries to persuade my fellow commuters that Kita Senju is a place worth visiting – but she has no place in the Paralympics.
Those two overweight “comedians” have no place either in the Paralympics or in anything connected to sport, until shouting and watching people eat becomes a designated event.
Why are Japan’s Paralympians not being paraded here, so we can get behind them, and see who we’ll be cheering for?
And the design of those uniforms looks like a urine sample.
Jalapeno
The beer gut Olympics.
robert maes
What an incredible disrespect towards Paralympics athletes and lesser abled people in general.
it proofs once again the complete disconnection with reality by the loc2020 , not to mention the enormous pr and marketing blunder this represents. Most worrying however is the lack of complaints about this from the Japanese public.
A disgrace
HBJ
OK this is good news, but...
Why oh why have they used 3 able bodied, non sport related, 'talent' to model the uniforms?
This is the Paralympics torchbearers uniform so use some Paralympians past and present, and some disabled citizens to model the uniforms.
The lady in the wheelchair, Aki Taguchi, is a three-time Paralympian (shooting). Having her there decked out in business style pointing to an actress and two comedians is quite frankly patronising.
Japan really needs to grow up and stop this ridiculous, childish obsession of presenting everything via talent agencies. These 3 able bodied 'models' have absolutely nothing to do with the Olympics, sport, or disability, so don't use them. There is 1 year to go before the Paralympics start, so use that time - with all the events scheduled within - to introduce and promote Paralympians and people with disabilities and not these talent agency celebrities.
kwatt
Torch is actually very light, but the photograph that men are holding torches looks heavy somehow to me.
papigiulio
Ugly uniform, pee color yellow, great choice.
smithinjapan
Congrats! Hope it's broadcast!