Olympic Flame unveiled near National Stadium in Tokyo

Olympic Flame unveiled near National Stadium in Tokyo

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Tokyo 2020 has unveiled the Olympic Flame near the new National Stadium in the Japanese capital ©Getty Images

Tokyo 2020 has unveiled the Olympic Flame near the new National Stadium in the Japanese capital.

The Olympic Flame has been placed at the Japan Olympic Museum and will be on public display from tomorrow September 1, 2020.

 

Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori and Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita unveiled it during a small ceremony.

The Olympic Flame kept at an undisclosed location in Japan back in April after being removed from public display as one of the measures designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

It is set to be kept inside a lantern in the Olympic Museum, with visitors required to book in advance to see it.

Restrictions on the number of entrants will be in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections.

The museum also features replicas of the Cauldron of each of the three Olympic Games Japan has hosted - Tokyo 1964, Sapporo 1972 and Nagano 1998.

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Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori was present at a ceremony unveiling the Olympic Flame ©Getty Images

The Olympic Flame is expected to be moved to other regions prior to the Torch Relay, with the original Torch Relay schedule for the postponed Tokyo 2020 due to be maintained.

Should organisers proceed with their original plans, the Torch Relay would last for 121 days.

It would begin on March 25 at the J-Village National Football Training Centre in Fukushima Prefecture.

The rescheduled Olympics are due to take place until August 8 next year, followed by the Paralympics from August 24 to September 5.

Preparations have been rocked following the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, however.

The 65-year-old, who stepped down due to health reasons, had been Japan's Prime Minister since 2012 and heavily backed Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

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