Tokyo 2016 accelerated into the new year on the back of two major events in Japan’s capital that saw athletes and sports enthusiasts come together in support of the Bid’s ‘Uniting Our Worlds’ vision.
On 29 December, ‘Talk Live’ was held at the 54th Tokyo Daishoten – one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan, at Ohi Racecourse in Shinagawa, Tokyo.
At ‘Talk Live’, 2008 Olympic wrestling bronze medallist Kyoko Hamaguchi and her father – former professional wrestler Animal Hamaguchi – spoke on subjects ranging from their own Olympic experiences to thoughts on Ohi Racecourse as an Olympic venue, and the Tokyo Daishoten itself. Father and daughter capped a busy day entertaining supporters and racing fans by making the presentations to winning jockey Christophe Lemaire, and his mount Kane Hekili.
The racecourse is the proposed site for modern pentathlon in 2016, and is situated in the Tokyo Bay Zone − one of two overlapping zones that unite the iconic heritage and modern advancement of Tokyo in an ultra-compact and sustainable Games plan.
Tokyo 2016 then saw out 2008 in style on 31 December with ‘The World is Dancing in Tokyo’ at the Tokyo International Forum – the intended venue for Weightlifting in the Heritage Zone’s Palace Cluster. Worlds of music were united by eclectic beats from well-known Japanese and international DJs, energising the youthful crowd.
Dr Ichiro Kono, Chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016, said: “I’m thrilled that all of the Bid-related events in the busy year-end and New Year season have successfully built upon the fantastic momentum we generated in 2008. Numerous athletes and millions of Japanese people have shown their enthusiasm for Tokyo 2016 and the Olympic Movement and this has been truly inspiring.
“New Year is always a time for reflection, but the next few months are critical to our Bid to bring the world’s greatest sporting event to our dynamic capital for the benefit of millions of people and the Olympic Movement, so we have little time to lthrough Tokyo 2016.”
