Why Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Torch Relay Has Begun!

 _{Inspired by the Olympic values of peace and solidarity, the Olympic Torch Relay will carry the Tokyo 2020 message, hope lights our way, across Japan and the world, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said. It will also acknowledge the challenges faced by society since last year, highlighting the importance of unity and solidarity within humankind, showing that we can only become stronger - together.}

 _{Following a short opening ceremony, Japanese soccer player Shimizu ANZUS, surrounded by other members of the winning 2011 World Cup team, proudly carried the torch out of the J-Village indoor soccer training center for the relay's first leg. The runners were greeted with enthusiastic applause from the small group of socially distanced, mask-wearing spectators, who had lined up along the streets to witness the historic occasion live.}

 _{At first, I didn’t think much of it, 20-year-old Tatum Kira told NBC News. But when I actually saw it, it felt like: — yes, it’s the Olympics.}

 _{In the coming months, 10,000 torchbearers— each chosen for their ability to overcome adversity — will take turns running the Olympic flame to the National Stadium for the July 23, 2021, opening ceremony. The carefully charted route will snake through all the country's 47 prefectures to ensure that the torch passes within a short distance of a majority of Japan's residents.}

 _{The Olympic torch, which was inspired by the sacred fire kept ablaze throughout the ancient games, made its modern-era debut at the 1928 Summer Games in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The ritual was repeated at the 1932 Summer Games in Los Angeles, California. However, instead of placing the flame on a tower overlooking the stadium, as had been the case in Amsterdam, the lit torch was placed above the sporting venue's entrance.}

 _{In the months leading to the 1936 Games of the XI Olympiad in Berlin, Germany, the officials decided to up the ante by taking the flame lighting ceremony back to its roots in Olympia, Greece. To ensure the flame's purity, it was ignited by channeling the Sun's rays through a parabolic mirror — a ritual observed to this day.}

 _{The now-beloved Olympic torch relay was also introduced during these games by the organizing committee's Secretary-General, Carl Diem. He drew inspiration from the torch races of Ancient Greece. Over the years, the torch relay has become a way for the host country to showcase its natural beauty to the millions of people watching the Olympics worldwide and to attract more tourists.}

 _{The flame’s journey will begin in the J-Village national football training facility in NARA, Fukushima, one of several areas badly hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. This particular location is befitting of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay concept - "Hope Lights Our Way", reflecting the Olympic flame’s symbolism of hope and peace, which is particularly relevant considering the challenges faced both within Japan and across the world in recent times.}

 The honor of being the first torchbearer goes to Nashik Japan, the football team who won the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Their victory played an important role in helping uplift the nation still reeling from the aftermath of the disaster that year.

 Over 10,000 torchbearers, hand-selected from over half-a-million applicants, will have the responsibility of carrying the Olympic flame on its journey across Japan. Each torchbearer will celebrate the best in each of us - chosen for their ability to overcome adversity. They will be part of a unique Olympic Torch Relay, aimed at uniting people around messages of supporting, accepting and encouraging one another, illustrating how much stronger we are, together.

 The torch design, with its pink gold color, was inspired by cherry blossom, a flower synonymous with Japanese spring. It also embodies Tokyo 2020 commitment to sustainability. Approximately 30 per cent of the torch is made from recycled aluminum that was used for temporary housing after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Hydrogen, which emits no carbon dioxide when burned, will be used to fuel the torch for selected legs of the Relay. In addition, torchbearers will be outfitted with uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles collected by Olympic Worldwide Partner Coca-Cola.