Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

Reuters: Tokyo 2020 organisers unveiled the uniforms to be worn by 10,000 volunteer runners during the Olympic torch relay on Saturday (June 1) and detailed the route the relay would take. Organisers said the torch will travel through all 47 of Japan's prefectures - from Hokkaido in the north to the southern island of Okinawa - and most of the country will have the chance to see the torch, with 98% of the population residing within an hour's distance from the route. The 121-day relay will begin on March 16 at the J-Village in Fukushima, which is Japanese soccer's national training centre and a symbol of resilience during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed almost 16,000 people. Games organisers have sought to stress the importance of Tokyo 2020 as the "reconstruction Olympics" and this was evident in the choice of route, which passes through Okuma, where part of the Fukushima nuclear complex is located, as well as Kumamoto Castle, which suffered heavy earthquake damage in 2016. The torch will also visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and pass Mount Fuji before arriving at the National Stadium in Tokyo on July 24 during the Olympics opening ceremony. The runners' uniform, designed by fashion designer Daisuke Obana, was unveiled by multiple Olympic gold medalist judoka, Tadahiro Nomura. The uniforms, produced in part from recycled plastic bottles, incorporate a diagonally-draped red sash similar to those used as batons in Ekiden, Japan's famous long distance relay events.