Protests over Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Tokyo is fully on track to deliver the “compact” 2020 Olympics it promised when it was awarded the rights to the event six years ago, the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission chief said on Tuesday (July 23).

Wednesday marked one year until the opening ceremony in the almost-completed National Stadium, and organisers believe they are on schedule to deliver the Games.

Around 3.22 million tickets were sold during the first domestic sales phase last month, surprising organisers so much that their sales policy has had to be amended.

Local sponsorship revenue has passed $3 billion, more than any other Games, which is necessary as Tokyo 2020 organisers battle rising costs.

Budget figures released in December 2018 put total costs at $12.6 billion, well above their original estimate at under $7 billion.

The medals for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were unveiled on Wednesday with exactly one year to go until next year’s Games.

The unveiling of the medals, designed by Junichi Kawanishi, was the main attraction of an extravagant ceremony in the Japanese capital to commemorate the landmark.

The event was attended by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The medals are made from recycled metals, collected from 6.21 million electronic devices donated across Japan.

With all the newly-built and refurbished venues on track to be completed on schedule, organisers are heading into the final straight with few major headaches.

Just when all seemed to be going well for the organisers on Wednesday, July 24th, Hundreds of local residents and foreigners joined an anti-Olympics demonstration in Shinjuku, Tokyo on Wednesday evening.

At around 7 pm, more than 230 people gathered to march for the demonstration.
Activists raised voices against the ills the Olympics pose whenever the Games are held such as the expansion of police and military surveillance, rampant corruption, crippling financial waste, environmental degradation, mass displacement and the trampling of individual rights.

The Games are expected to take place from Jul. 24 to Aug. 9, 2020, while the Paralympics will be held from Aug. 25 to Sep. 6.

@philemonmbale