More than two million sports fans lined the city-centre streets of Tokyo to cheer on 32,000 runners and wheelchair racers participating in the Tokyo Marathon 2008.
The marathon began in the Tokyo 2016 “Heritage Venue Zone” and continued on to the waterfront “Tokyo Bay Venue Zone” which together make up Tokyo’s proposed 2016 Olympic Park.
It ended at the Tokyo Big Sight in the “Musubi Cluster” which joins the two venues in Tokyo’s 2016 bid plan. The Musubi Cluster will contain the Olympic stadium, Olympic village, and several competition venues including the Tokyo Big Sight, which would host handball, fending and taekwondo events.
Dr. Ichiro Kono, Chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016 said, “it is an honour for Tokyo 2016 to receive the support of so many athletes and citizens from Japan and across the world. This is a small indication of the Japanese passion for sport and support for our bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016. The marathon has highlighted our unique concept at the heart of city life and the extraordinary legacy that will be created.
“More than 30,000 athletes have now run through the heart of Tokyo’s proposed venues for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It has helped us to imagine the amazing scenes if we are awarded the honour of hosting the Games. It is an early example of the incredible new sporting, social, economic and environment gold era that will be created for the benefit of Tokyo, Japan and the whole Olympic Movement”, he said.
