About 700,000 people gathered Sunday evening at the proposed site of the Tokyo 2016 Olympic Stadium situated in the heart of Tokyo and surrounding areas to attend the traditional Tokyo Bay Fireworks Festival.
According to a press release the event included a “colourful mix of traditional and modern fashions” while a “crowd of cheering onlookers”, dressed in traditional yukata (a type of kimono) and avant-garde outfits, enjoyed the “magical” show against the backdrop of the Tokyo skyline and the Rainbow Bridge.
A huge banner displayed the location as the proposed site of Tokyo 2016’s Olympic stadium.
Meanwhile Tokyo 2016 says sport in general is flourishing in Japan and enjoying massive public interest. The 2008 Tokyo marathon was supported by thousands of volunteers, while 150,000 people applied for the 32,000 available places for runners. In excess of two million people then lined the streets to support the event in the heart of the city – a key facet of the Tokyo 2016 bid concept.
The bid has launched the Tokyo 2016 Hometown Ambassador campaign which involves an Olympian being selected from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures to promote sport and Olympic passion through their experiences.
