POSTED: Monday September 24th 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Concurrent International Sport Events in Tokyo Attract Thousands of Fans
Tokyo, 24 September 2012 - Tokyo is currently playing host to several top international sporting events: the 2012 FITA Archery World Cup Final, Yonex Open Japan 2012 and Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis Tournament. These three major events are taking place within a 12 day period in the nation's capital, and overall spectator attendance and ticket sales have exceeded organisers' expectations. At the same time, International Ice Hockey Federation's General Congress will be held in the city centre. The smooth organisation of these concurrent events reaffirms Tokyo's organisational skills - an asset that Tokyo 2020 is leveraging in its Bid plan for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Over the weekend of 22-23 September, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government sponsored the Archery World Cup Final 2012 in central Tokyo's Hibiya Park, with the nearby Imperial Palace providing an iconic backdrop. 3,113 people cheered on the world's top 32 archers in the open-air venue. Hibiya Park is one of the city's numerous and spacious green areas.
Hidenori Tomoyose, 53, an avid amateur archer since 30 years ago from Tokyo, said: "This is the first time I ever came to an international archery competition, and the venue is great because it is in the middle of Tokyo with a lot of green and it is very well set up. We should have the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020, as it will definitely raise the profile of Archery in Japan! If Tokyo hosts the 2020 Games, I will visit as many competitions as I can."
Reo Wilde, winner of the compound mixed team competition and silver medallist of the men's individual, said: "The place is very pretty, it is a very beautiful venue. This was my first time in Tokyo. Everything has been ran very well, they do a great job, we can't ask for much more than that."
The Yonex Open Japan 2012, one stage of the OSIM Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Superseries, ended yesterday with victories by Malaysian Lee Chong Wei in men's individual and Chinese Taipe's Tai Tzu Ying in women's individual. Local heroes Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa attracted considerable attention as they competed for the first time since their historic performance at the London 2012 Games. In London they became the first Japanese ever to win medals in Badminton. During the six-day tournament (18-23 September), thousands of badminton fans poured into Yoyogi National Stadium, a venue originally constructed for the Tokyo 1964 Summer Games, and still in use. The location is proposed as the Handball venue in Tokyo's plan for the 2020 Games.
Nine of the world's top ten women's tennis players are in Japan's capital for the seven-day WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament (23-29 September). The event is being held at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, the site proposed for Tennis and Wheelchair Tennis competitions in Tokyo 2020's Olympic and Paralympic Games plan. More than 55,000 fans are expected to attend the Open.
Also this week the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) convenes in Tokyo for their five-day General Congress. The event starts tomorrow and will feature the election of a new president. Notably, Tokyo was selected as the first Asian city to host the Congress in the IIHF's 104-year history.
Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC member and President of both Tokyo 2020 and the Japanese Olympic Committee, said: "Tokyo is regularly chosen to host major international competitions, and this month's activities show that our city is full of sports fans and supporters. The Japanese people love sports. If given the chance, we guarantee that Tokyo will be fully prepared to stage the world's biggest sporting event in eight years' time - the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
September's international events showcase Japan's ability to stage world-class sporting competitions underpinned by exceptional organisation, technical excellence, unparalleled safety and first-rate public transportation. Built on these same strengths, Tokyo 2020 promises to deliver a highly exciting and innovative Games hosted in one of the world's most forward-looking cities.
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Keywords · Tokyo 2020 · Summer Games · Tsunekazu Takeda · JOC
Name: Masa Takaya
Organization: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bid
Email:
Phone: 81362790049
URL: http://www.tokyo2020.jp
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