POSTED: Wednesday June 17th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tokyo 2016 Promises unique 100 Year Legacy for the Olympic Movement

Tokyo 2016 will use Japanese youth culture to inspire the world

Lausanne, 17 June 2009 – Tokyo 2016 today revealed inspiring plans to deliver the greatest ever legacy in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to International Olympic Committee (IOC) Members at the 2016 Bidding Cities Briefing in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Tokyo’s Bid considers this year as the perfect Olympic moment for Japan’s capital to secure the chance to deliver a lasting legacy for the Olympic Movement. Exactly one hundred years have passed since Japan joined the Olympic Movement, through the entry of sport education pioneer, Jigoro Kano, to the IOC in 1909. In return, Tokyo 2016 is promising to deliver a new 100-year legacy for the world through setting the greatest possible stage for athletes and inspiring the youth of the world through Japan’s contemporary appeal.

Dr Ichiro Kono, Chair and CEO of Tokyo 2016, said:

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are much more than just two weeks of sporting excellence. They also mark the birth of a sustainable legacy. Tokyo 2016 will be a catalyst for the world’s greatest metropolitan make-over. The Games will help transform Tokyo and leave the Olympic Movement with an incredible legacy to inspire future cities.

“Tokyo is building a fantastic future. Finding innovative solutions to today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges. Our plan will propel the Olympic Movement’s evolution in the 21st century.

“Sport is a universal language that can engage the youth from across the world. Tokyo speaks to the youth through its unique urban culture and its cutting edge technologies; Thus Tokyo offers the Olympic movement the ideal platform to re-unite youth with sport.

“These are not just words. We have taken action. We have created a national educational program promoting the values of the Olympic movement for schools. Last month, as a tribute to the Olympic Movement, we launched the Jigoro Kano International Institute for Olympism. It celebrates the first Asian IOC member, exactly one 100 years ago.

“The plans we have proposed today honour that legacy whilst offering a new 100 year legacy for the Olympic Movement. Japan is already connecting with youth of the world; Tokyo will be a committed partner for the Olympic Movement and help connect future generations with sport and Olympism. Tokyo 2016 will be your best partners. We are ready and we are waiting.”

Tokyo 2016 aims to reconnect the youth of the world with sport by activating the most comprehensive youth programme outreach ever. By engaging with Japanese youth, Tokyo 2016 can help to spread Olympism and passion for sport worldwide through contemporary means. This will include using the global appeal of Japanese youth culture, such as animates, mangas, fashion and cutting-edge technology, to reach out around the world.

With the launch of the highly-innovative ‘Tokyo Sport For All Programme’ as part of Tokyo’s ten-year ‘Big Change’ strategy, Tokyo 2016 is already helping to reunite the Japan’s capital with sport, educating youth through Olympism and promoting a healthier lifestyle. Tokyo 2016 has already been the catalyst for introducing Olympic education to schools – a first for a Candidate City.

Stepping up as an active member of the Olympic Family, Tokyo aims to become a model Olympic city, showcasing the unique benefits of the Olympic Movement on a city’s development. This includes hosting the most eco-friendly Games at the heart of the world’s largest city and transforming Tokyo into a sport-loving, healthy metropolis. Tokyo 2016 is seeking to use the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a catalyst to display the best solutions for sustainable urban development and help other cities around the world tackle the major shared issues of the 21st century – from mature economies, ageing-populations and critically, the how to best care for the environment.

The iconic Tokyo Sea Forest project, a large reclaimed island in the waters of Tokyo Bay, will be transformed into a green centrepiece for the Olympic Movement, as part of 1,000 hectares of new green spaces being introduced to futuristic Tokyo by 2016. Sea Forest will host Olympic equestrian, rowing and canoe-kayak competitions.

Tokyo will also further enhance its sport legacy as the ultimate sustainable showcase, regenerating existing venues used for the 1964 Games into state-of-the-art, green0-designed and fully accessible sports facilities, while creating 5 brand-new world-class venues. The centrepiece of the most compact Games plan in Olympic and Paralympic history will be the iconic Olympic Stadium, which will be built in the heart of the city, on the Tokyo bayside, for the maximum benefit for future generations. One of the main features of the stadium will be its solar-panelled roof, which will contribute to the facility running on 100% renewable energy – a commitment made for all other Tokyo 2016 venues.

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Keywords · Tokyo 2016 · Olympic bids · IOC · Ichiro Kono

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