Tokyo 2020 lands first official supporters

Japanese newspaper groups The Sankei Shimbun and The Hokkaido Shimbun Press have been unveiled as the first official supporters of the 2020 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will be held in Tokyo.

The official supporter designation represents the third domestic tier of the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship programme.

The Sankei Shimbun and Hokkaido Shimbun Press are the first companies to become official supporters of the Games and have each been assigned the ‘newspapers’ sponsorship category.

The deals bring the total number of Tokyo 2020 domestic partners to 46, including 15 gold partners, 29 official partners and two official supporters.

Hirohiko Iizuka, president and chief operating officer of The Sankei Shimbun, said: “The Sankei Shimbun has been hosting various sports events including the Osaka Women’s Marathon and the All Japan High School Volleyball Championship to contribute towards the progress of the world of athletics.

“We are also engaged in the ‘Fukunowa Project’ to utilise the sales revenue of second-hand clothes for the enhancement of para sports. We are determined to continuously promote the development of sport and support the Tokyo 2020 Games to be successful.”