The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games on Monday unveiled the Paralympic torch and emblem that will be used to depict the torch relay, scheduled to take place between August 13 and 25.
Torchbearers will run in teams of three persons without knowing in advance who their other torchbearers on their team will be. The detailed selection criteria of for the torchbearers will be determined around in this autumn of this year.
The torch will be lit for the first time in Tokyo in August 2020, based on the "Share Your Light" concept of the Paralympic Torch Relay. It is a symbol designed to unify embody the feelings of everyone supporting the Paralympic Games.
The torch relay emblem incorporates three rectangular shapes arranged to depict the dynamic flames of a torch. In addition, a "ukiyo-e" woodblock printing technique known as "fukibokashi" has been used to produce graduated tones across two colours, the statement said.
One of these - golden-yellow - depicts diverse individuality, and is combined with ochraceous, reminiscent of the earth, to create a festive feeling evoking Japan; their combination creates the effect of a flame. Throughout the torch relay, the torches with their diverse origins will aim to an inclusive society.
The manufacture of the torch embodies the spirit of recovery and consideration for sustainability. Aluminium construction waste from temporary housing built in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake was used to create it, transforming materials that witnessed the rebuilding of shattered lives into a symbol of peace. This will convey to the world the extent to which the affected areas are recovering, one step at a time.
Uniting tradition and modern technology, the shape of the torch resembles that of a Japanese traditional "Sakura-mon" cherry blossom emblem. The name of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games mascot SOMEITY and its design also come from this flower.
It was shaped into this form using the same aluminium extrusion technology used in the manufacture of Shinkansen bullet trains. It forms a seamless, single piece in a form that symbolises the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Torch Relay, created by fusing Japanese tradition and modern technology.