AFP
Tokyo, August 24: The Olympic flag arrived here Wednesday as Japan’s capital gears up to host the 2020 Games, with officials promising smooth sailing after Rio’s sometimes shaky 2016 installment.
After stepping off a plane from Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike carried the flag at a ceremony at the city’s Haneda airport here.
“I feel a heavy responsibility for the next Olympics,” Koike said. “I’m happy that we’re able to bring the flag back after more than 50 years.”
Tokyo last hosted the summer Olympics in 1964, underscoring Japan’s post-war coming out party as it grew into a global economic powerhouse.
A kimono-clad Koike received the flag Sunday at the closing ceremony in the presence of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. The PM pledged that he will work hard to host the best Games yet but Tokyo’s Olympic preparations have suffered high-profile setbacks including soaring costs and having to redesign the Games logo after accusations of plagiarism.
French prosecutors have also launched an investigation into alleged bribes linked to Tokyo’s winning Olympic bid, which organisers have denied.
Koike has ordered officials to rein in ballooning costs and pledged a formal review, as concerns grow over soaring costs which could potentially double or even triple from the reported original forecast of $7.14 billion.
The Games were awarded to Tokyo in 2013, with expectations that they would be a model of efficiency with the city touting itself as ‘peaceful, reliable, safe, and stable’.