【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue】
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics from July 23, 2021 onward.
In Hokkaido, Sapporo will host the marathon, race walking, and football events.
These articles bring you the feelings and reactions of Hokkaido residents.
Special feature
【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue ②】At Opening Ceremony, choreography by Otaru-raised Hirahara and Olympic logo from Engaru wood
The Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony on July 23 featured the “Olympic Rings” wooden sculpture crafted in ring shapes designed to represent the Olympic logo. This logo was made with wood from trees grown in the town of Engaru in the Eastern Hokkaido Okhotsk region. The wood used was forest thinning timber from trees that have grown from seeds given to Japan as a gift from countries that participated in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The choreography for Opening Ceremony scenes, including this scene and the scene representing the feelings inside the hearts of athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, was designed by Central Hokkaido Otaru-raised dancer and choreographer Shintaro Hirahara.
The logo made its entrance right before the athletes entered the stadium amidst the singing of a song to remind everyone of the continuance of the 1964 Olympics legacy. The five wooden rings were four meters in diameter. Guided by a plethora of lamps, they were situated on a large dolly and carried into the stadium. The rings transformed into the Olympic logo in the center of the stadium, upon which fireworks in five colors shot forth, bringing color to the venue.
During his junior high school and high school years in Otaru, Shintaro Hirahara learned ballet at a local ballet academy called Naoe Ballet, after which he was active as a contemporary dance specialist. Currently, he runs his own dance company called “Organ Works” (Tokyo).
Location
Engaru Town
Special feature
【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue (10)】Sapporo "hot races", residents show support
The Tokyo Olympics women's and men's marathons were held in Sapporo on August 7 and 8. Though both marathons unfurled under intense heat, top runners from around the world still put their hearts in...
In the Women’s Basketball Final on the last day of the Tokyo Olympic Games on August 8, Japan were beaten 75-90 by USA – who were aiming for their 7th consecutive title – to take the silver medal. ...
The Women’s Marathon was held on August 7, the third day of the Tokyo Olympic Games athletics Marathon and Race Walk events being held in Sapporo. Temperatures in Sapporo were extremely hot, with a...
At the 5:30 a.m. start on August 6, the temperature was already 25 degrees Celsius. It reached 30 degrees with a 79% humidity for the end of the walk in the 9:00 a.m. time slot. It was such a bruta...
The first of the Tokyo Olympic Games Marathon and Race Walk events to be held in Sapporo began on August 5 with the Men’s 20 km Race Walk. Despite the games’ Organising Committee calling, before th...
A ‘nose grind’ is an original trick that uses the structure at the edge of the course. With a performance packed with tricks characteristic of the 12-year-old skater, Hiraki became Japan’s youngest...
We talked to Yamagami Yuichiro (37) – managing director of Yamagami Mokko, a furniture maker in the town of Tsubetsu in the Okhotsk region of eastern Hokkaido – as he reflects on what was involved ...
July 24 marks the second match in the first round of Women's Olympic Football. Right before the match, all of the Japanese and Great Britain team members took a knee to protest racism.
The first round of women's football kicked off on July 21 at the Sapporo Dome. This is also the first event to be held in Hokkaido for the Summer Olympic Games. Unfortunately, COVID-19 spreading ha...