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A sigh of relief amidst the pandemic as Olympic Rings are reinstalled at the Tokyo Bay
In a huge sigh of relief for sports fans across the globe, the Olympic rings have been reinstalled at the Tokyo Bay on Tuesday. The rings were earlier removed for maintenance shortly after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The return of the rings which are about 15.3m tall and 32.6m in length gives an indication that the Olympics will surely be held in the coming year. The rings returned from repairs from the nearby city of Yokohama and are now placed on a barge in the shadow on Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge.
“Since the rings are here, we want everyone to feel we will definitely have the Tokyo 2020 Games next year,” said the planning director of Tokyo metropolitan government, Atsushi Yanashimizu, to Reuters.
The return of the Olympic rings at the Tokyo Bay
The gigantic rings were first installed in January 2020 and were then removed in August 2020 for maintenance. The rings will be lighted every night starting from Tuesday till the end of the Olympics and will then be replaced with the Paralympics logo.
The return of the rings at the Tokyo Bay is one of the latest hints from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japanese Government that more than 10,000 athletes can confidently travel to the country for the Olympics without any fear of the pandemic.
Though the protocols to be followed by the athletes and journalists are yet not clear, the tournament is expected to have strict quarantine rules for everyone. It is also speculated that only a limited number of fans will be allowed inside the stadium and the athletes will have to leave the country as soon as their events are completed. A clearer picture about the rules and procedures is anticipated to be available in the early part of 2021.
If all goes well, the Olympics will start from 23 rd June 2021, followed by the Paralympics on 24th August 2021.
A recent report in local newspaper Yomiuri on Sunday revealed that the postponement of the quadrennial event has cost the organisers $1.9billion approximately.
