Olympic Flag Arrives in Tokyo! Welcome Ceremony Held at Haneda

On August 24, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government held a welcome ceremony for the Olympic flag at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. This ceremony commemorated the arrival in Tokyo of the Olympic flag, which Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike had received at the closing ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.

Governor Koike, appearing from the arriving aircraft, proudly displayed the Olympic flag held high. Simultaneously, from another aircraft emerged women's wrestler Saori Yoshida, captain of the Japanese delegation; decathlete Keisuke Ushiro, the flag bearer; Deputy Head of the Japanese delegation Yasuhiro Yamashita; and General Manager Yuji Takada. They unfurled the JOC flag and reported their return with smiles, showing no signs of fatigue from the long journey.

Governor Koike and the others slowly made their way to the stage, holding the flag aloft, amid loud applause from the welcoming crowd.

On the podium, Governor Koike stated, "The flag looks heavy, but it isn't actually that heavy. However, I keenly feel the responsibility it represents is very heavy indeed. I want to work even harder with all of you from now on to make these the best Olympic and Paralympic Games possible," expressing her determination for the games four years from now.

Tsunekazu Takeda, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee, expressed his delight at the Japanese delegation winning a record 41 medals: 12 gold, 8 silver, and 21 bronze. "At the Rio Games, we won many medals in sports and events where we had previously struggled to medal," he said. Young athletes also performed well, contributing to significant achievements. We will analyze these results, overcome challenges, and strive to achieve even greater success in 2020."

The unveiled Olympic flag will be stored in the governor's office and is scheduled to be widely displayed to Tokyo residents and the public through various events in the future.

Meanwhile, at Haneda Airport, large decorations featuring designs based on the Olympic and Paralympic emblems, various competition scenes, and Olympians and Paralympians are on display until October 10th under the message "Welcome to TOKYO 2020" to coincide with the welcome ceremony.