Today's topic
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics
After a delayed start due to the pandemic, the postponed Tokyo Olympics have officially started and here are just a few facts.
For starters there are around 11,000 athletes from 205 countries. There have been 5,000 medals made from recycled electronics. For these Olympic Games four new sports have been added; Karate, Sport Climbing, Skateboarding and Surfing. These new events gives it a more youthful feel I think. It has also brought back a couple of favorite sports in baseball and softball. The centerpiece is definitely the Japan National Stadium. The stadium features wood on both the exterior and interior. As an ode to Japan, the wood is sourced from all of Japan’s 47 prefectures. It was designed by Kengo Kuma and he describes the structure as a living tree, built in a way to maximize the breeze flowing through the stadium in order to rely less on air conditioning. One of the main themes of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is sustainability and to promote sustainability the olympics are repurposing a number of the venues used in the 1964 Olympic Games. Moreover, not just the medals are made from recycled cell phones but things such as the podiums, some uniforms and even the beds at the Olympic Village are made from cardboard, which will be recycled after the Games. Another key component of the Games is the Olympic torch. The stunning torch used for the Tokyo Olympic Torch Relay was designed to resemble cherry blossoms. A renowned symbol of Japan that began in March this year to coincide with the cherry blossom season and has travelled all across Japan. The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics looked fairly normal with delegations of athletes decked out in clothes representing their countries marching triumphantly into the stadium, waving flags. A beautiful choreographed spectacle from the host country, Japan celebrates its art and traditions but as we know these are not normal times. The organizers faced a challenge in striking the right tone at the start of these postponed Games. The ceremony is an effort to inspire people around the globe by celebrating the world’s best athletes coming together, while also acknowledging the trouble and anxiety these Games have caused. It featured a moment of silence for the lives lost to COVID-19. Health care workers were honored and an elaborate dance and lights routine acknowledged the isolation the athletes and everyone else have faced during the pandemic. The honor of lighting the Olympic flame went to Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka. My favorite thing about the opening ceremony was the live performance of the 50-pictograms created originally by 1964 Olympic committee. It was humorous and very well planned. Japan has been doing very well and has already achieved a record breaking performance in the amount of medals won. I have enjoyed watching these Olympics and really like to see the different athletes participating in all kinds of sports. I have really enjoyed softball, skateboarding, badminton, table tennis, judo and track and field events have been the most memorable for me.
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ブライダル専門学校 Nagoya College of Foreign Languages A professional training college in the Denpa Educational Institution!
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