Through an underhand pass relay, Passing the baton in 2020

On July 24, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government held the countdown event "Everyone's Tokyo 2020: 5 Years to Go!!" at the Symbol Promenade Park in Aomi, Tokyo, to commemorate five years until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The event was held in the hope that elementary school students, who represent Japan's future, would learn the basics of track and field from athletes, making this day an opportunity to "experience the power of sports."

At the start, Hiroki Sato, Executive Director and Deputy Secretary General of the Organizing Committee, stated, "We would be delighted if, five years from now, they look back proudly on the day they spent with the athletes." Masahiro Nakajima, Director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Olympic and Paralympic Preparation Bureau, added, "We plan many more countdown events going forward. We hope everyone will actively participate and help build excitement for the Games."

The event featured five Olympians, including Beijing Olympics 4x100m relay bronze medalists Nobuharu Asahara and Shinji Takahira, along with approximately 200 elementary school students (grades 3-6) selected from applicants nationwide.

That same day marked the first day of the "Road to Tomorrow 1000km Relay 2015" ( http://dentsu-ho.com/articles/2524 ), traversing the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster areas. A live connection was established with the relay's starting point in Aomori Prefecture. This relay, scheduled over 15 days, will reach its finish at the same venue on August 7.

Athletes Naoko Takahashi and Asahara, serving as event ambassadors, exchanged cheers via live broadcast. Both locations rallied with the spirit, "Let's give it our all with smiles today!" as they watched the relay begin.

The Olympians taught the children the "underhand pass" style of baton handoff, a signature technique of the Japanese national team. When the athletes demonstrated it while actually running, the children gasped in amazement at the speed and smoothness.

The children enjoyed a summer day filled with baton-passing competitions and interactions with the athletes, uniting in a loud "Go!!" in response to the "5 Years to" chant.

Organizing Committee News Site: https://tokyo2020.jp/jp/news/index.php?mode=page&id=1412