Thousands of Japanese sports fans gathered Friday at the Tokyo 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Supporters Assembly, organized by Tokyo 2016 in cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japanese Olympic and Paralympic Committees, in the latest show of support for the Olympic Movement and Tokyo 2016.
A Tokyo 2016 press release said four-time Olympic gold medallist and national swimming hero, Kosuke Kitajima, was unveiled as head of the newly created Tokyo 2016 Sports Supporters Squad which was created to “harness support for the bid from all levels of Japanese society”.
Those at the event heard about Japan’s commitment to host “the most compact and sustainable Olympic Games” in history.
Along with the elite sports men and women, high-level Japanese officials played a major role in the event, including members of the Japanese Diet (Parliament), the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Japan Sports Association.
There were performances from artistic fields as diverse as Kabuki, Japanese Drumming (Taiko), Cheer Dance and Line Dancing, said the press release.
Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo and President of Tokyo 2016 told the crowd, the “Tokyo 2016 would be an amazing gift for the young people of Japan. I dream of leaving an Olympic legacy for Japanese children and future generations. Together, let’s unite and bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Tokyo in 2016”.
Dr. Ichiro Kono, Chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016 added, “I’m very excited to see the huge number of supporters I’ve witnessed today. People from all walks of Japanese life are represented amongst the thousands of attendees. The city is being unified by sport and Olympism and I can see the bonds strengthening as we come together for a common goal. At the heart of Tokyo 2016 is a commitment to unite our worlds – strengthening the bonds between people that create communities, the ties that inspire the future and the shared passion for sport that unites us all”.
