- Date
- 12 Oct 2014
- Tags
- Tokyo 2020 , IOC News , Legacy
Tokyo marks 50th anniversary of 1964 Olympic Games
Tokyo has celebrated the 50th anniversary of its hosting of the 1964 Olympic Games, with a series of events being held across the Japanese city, which will host the Games for a second time in 2020.
“Today is exactly 50 years since the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 1964 Games,” said Yoshiro Mori, President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, during a ceremony on 10 October. “On this auspicious occasion, I am delighted to be able to share the fond memories we all have of the 1964 Games, and build up the momentum towards the 2020 Olympic Games.
“The 1964 Games changed Japan. And our ‘All Japan’ team is currently working hard to ensure we deliver a Games that will prompt future generations to look back and say, ‘In 2020, the power of the Olympic Games really served to inspire the world.’”
Events to mark the anniversary included an exhibition hosted by the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), which showcased medals, the Olympic torch, posters and other memorabilia from the 1964 Games.
“I am delighted to have this opportunity to reiterate my deepest respect and admiration to all those who contributed to the success of the Tokyo 1964 Games, and of course to all the athletes here today who competed at the Games, performed to the peak of their abilities, and left us with such wonderful memories,” said JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda. “It is my earnest wish that today’s celebrations will further contribute to the promotion of the Olympic Movement, to the enhancement of exchanges and mutual understanding between peoples and nations, and to peace throughout the world.”
Several 1964 Olympians also joined in the celebrations, alongside IOC members and representatives from National Olympic Committees and International Federations.
Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser, who won a third successive 100m freestyle gold medal in 1964, was one of the athletes who travelled to Tokyo to celebrate the Games anniversary.
“I am extremely excited to return to Tokyo for the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Olympic Games,” she said. “Tokyo was a magnificent city and the Japanese people showed delight in having the Olympic Games in their city.”
With the legacies of the 1964 Games still evident throughout Tokyo, hopes are high that the 2020 Games will have a similar impact on the city.
“I hope that in 2070 the next generation will be able to celebrate the achievements and legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games, as much as we have been able to do with the Games in 1964,” said John Coates, IOC Vice President and Chairman of the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission.