New Start Date For Virus-delayed Olympic Torch Relay
Muhammad Rameez Published September 28, 2020 | 12:34 PM
The Tokyo 2020 torch relay, which was put on hold when the Olympics were delayed over the coronavirus, will start next March from Japan's Fukushima region, organisers said Monday
Tokyo (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Sep, 2020 ) :The Tokyo 2020 torch relay, which was put on hold when the Olympics were delayed over the coronavirus, will start next March from Japan's Fukushima region, organisers said Monday.
The Olympic flame had already arrived in Japan from Greece and the relay was days from beginning earlier this year when organisers and Olympic officials took the historic decision to postpone the Games by 12 months.
The flame is currently on display in Tokyo.
The relay will now start on March 25, 2021, beginning in the Fukushima region hit by nuclear disaster after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The relay, which will see the flame travel to all 47 prefectures of Japan, is being organised under the slogan "Hope Lights Our Way" and was intended to highlight reconstruction in areas devastated by the 2011 disaster.
"In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will additionally symbolise the light at the end of the dark tunnel; a beacon of hope for the world in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Games, themselves a symbol of the resilience, the unity and the solidarity of humankind," organisers said in a statement.
The route and the schedule for the relay will remain the same "in principle," though the statement noted that the route and celebration venues "may be reviewed in light of the Covid-19 situation." The postponement of the Games has caused major logistical problems and extra expense for organisers.
As a result, organisers have been forced to identify a raft of cost-cutting measures, that will include smaller vehicle convoys for the torch relay and a simpler launch event.
The postponed Games are scheduled to open in Tokyo on July 23, 2021.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 27 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 27 April 2024
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
More Stories From Sports
-
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
10 hours ago -
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
10 hours ago -
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
10 hours ago -
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
10 hours ago -
Bagnaia hits back with record Jerez practice lap
10 hours ago -
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
10 hours ago
-
Shahzaib Rind calls on Deputy Speaker Balochistan
12 hours ago -
Inter-university weightlifting championship kicks off at SAU
12 hours ago -
T20 World Cup 2024 Trophy unveiling ceremony held
12 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A table
13 hours ago -
Football: French Ligue 1 table
14 hours ago -
New Zealand cricket CEO visits PSCA, expresses satisfaction over security arrangements
14 hours ago