Tokyo 2016 Olympics, Paralympics

Wheelchair Basketball

August 13th, 2009 by kimonobox | 527 views

I love this photo that the Committee have used of ‘Wheelchair Basketball’ to promote Tokyo2016.

Aiming for success

Wheelchair Basketball was developed shortly after World War II by US veterans.

The sport was introduced to the Paralympic Games in 1960. It is a sport designed for athletes who have a physical disability stopping them from running, jumping and pivoting. It is a very popular sport in the Paralympic Games.

Wheelchair Basketball is open to male or female athletes and is played by two teams of five players a side.

Tags: Paralympic Games1 Comment

Water for Olympics

August 7th, 2009 by shibuya246 | 401 views

The Tokyo Water Board (東京水道局) is sending out its letters with the official Tokyo 2016 Candidate City logo on. We got a letter today that looks like this.

Tokyo Water Board envelope

Tags: suido · water board1 Comment

Nihonbashi Tug of War

July 27th, 2009 by shibuya246 | 910 views

Tug of War event at Nihonbashi, Tokyo for Tokyo 2016

In support of the Tokyo 2016 Olympic Paralympic Bid, the Chuo-ku Tourist Association, this year celebrating their 50th year of operation, held a Tug of War event at Nihonbashi.

Chuo ward comes together with Tokyo 2016 at Nihonbashi

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Tags: Ayumi Tanimoto · Judo · nihonbashi · Saori Yoshida · Tanimoto · wrestling · Yoshida6 Comments

Robots, Kimonos & Lanterns, 2016

July 22nd, 2009 by kimonobox | 728 views

Two nights ago in Odaiba, the excitement of Tokyo2016 was captured on the beach. Organisers placed coloured lanterns representing the 5 Olympic rings on the sand. It was a brilliant event.

Great idea to spread lanterns on the Odaiba beach in support of 2016

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Tags: gundam · kimono · lanterns · odaiba5 Comments

The Flickr Five

July 18th, 2009 by kimonobox | 417 views

Tokyo2016Today

Support for Tokyo2016 is well demonstrated in the continuing stream of photos added to the photo blog on flickr. It is a great group with some fantastic shots!
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Tags: Flickr · Olympics · photos · soccer · support2 Comments

Boyz II Men Support Tokyo2016

July 16th, 2009 by ShaneSakata | 976 views

American musical group Boyz II Men expressed their support for the Tokyo bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016.

The most successful R&B group shared their thoughts in a letter to the Tokyo 2016 Bid Committee on the eve of a series of Japan performances.

“Tokyo is a city we have been fortunate enough to have performed in since 1993. It is a multicultural place full of friendly faces, and we know it is also somewhere our fellow entertainers love to come. From its cutting-edge technology to its people’s hospitality and passion for sport, Tokyo is the perfect stage for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

In R&B legends Boyz II Men add their voice to support for Tokyo 2016 the group goes on to share that singing “The Star Spangled Banner” during the closing ceremony of the Atlanta Games in 1996 was one of the most fulfilling experiences of their career and lives.

Boy II Men will perform at the Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka on July 28 & 29, the Nagoya Congress Center Century Hall on August 1st and at the Pacifico Yokohama National Convention Hall on August 4th.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xman/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Tags: Boyz II Men · Concerts · Musicians · R&B · support6 Comments

The Student Association for the 2016 Tokyo Olympics

July 14th, 2009 by tokyotopia | 1,455 views

We’ve shown you some of the groups, organizations and events that have been taking place in Tokyo to support the 2016 Olympic games bid. One of my personal favorites is a group of students who started their campaign way back in 2006. Committed? I think so!

_{Picture taken at one of the groups earlier events held in May 2007. Image reproduced from The Student Association Blog}

Calling themselves The Student Association for the 2016 Tokyo Olympics, they have been working hard in a variety of ways to bring the games to Tokyo. Here are some of the things they’ve been doing:

Hosting and organizing symposium events
Gathering signatures of support and getting feedback via questionnaires
Holding activities to spread the word about the Olympic bid

The opening symposium announcing their support was held in February 2006 which has been followed by a number of events which you can read about on their Tokyo Olympics events history page.

Check out their graffiti webtile board at the bottom of the homepage. A very neat way of showing all the people who have pledged their support for the bid. Great work!

Tags: student support · tokyo olympic bid · Tokyo Olympics · tokyo olympics 20163 Comments

Tokyo 2016 at the Soccer

July 13th, 2009 by shibuya246 | 5,682 views

At a recent Tokyo Verdy v. Tokushima Vortis J.League match, a number of Tokyo 2016 Games Bid activities were held before the match and at the half time break.

Pre-match, the Tokyo Verdy mascot shows his support for the Tokyo 2016 Bid

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Tags: football · j league · soccer · tokushima · verdy · vortis · yoyogi22 Comments

Even Mythical Creatures Support Tokyo2016

July 9th, 2009 by ShaneSakata | 860 views

Kappa, the mythical water dwelling sprite, and adopted mascot of Tokyo’s Kappabashi shopping district near Asakusa was recently spotted wearing a Tokyo2106 apron to show his support for the bid!

Kappa Mascot Tokyo 2016 Olympic Supporter

Kappa (”river child” in English) are popular creatures in Japanese folklore and can be found in the ponds, rivers and lakes throughout Japan. These mythical creatures are amphibious and can survive on land but their fish-like features give them the ability to swim like fish in the water.

While kappa are usually seen as mischievous troublemakers, they have been known to challenge those they encounter to various tests of skill, such as shogi or sumo wrestling.

I wonder if this kappa is lobbying for a spot on the Tokyo2016 Olympic swimming team? He’d be hard to beat!

Tags: asakusa · kappa · kappabashi · mascot · Tokyo3 Comments