The 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games set to hold in Japan had its mascots chosen and unveiled today, the Japanese authorities choosing a ‘futuristic duo’ to showcase the Asian superpower to the world.
In a nation highly driven by technological advances, two futuristic cartoon figures- one is a superhero and the other has an athlete’s figure- were chosen on live television earlier today at a ceremony attended by over 500 cheering schoolchildren in Tokyo.
A chequered blue-white patterned superhero figure, described as having “a strong sense of justice and is very athletic” was chosen as the Olympics mascot, while the Paralympics mascot which is believed to have “a dignified inner strength and a kind heart that loves nature” is inspired by blossom flower and has a pink and white design.
The Tokyo 2020 organisers threw open the competition of choosing mascots for the quadrennial games to individuals and groups, and 2,042 designs were received. The list was narrowed down to three by experts and voted for by school students across the nation.
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The business of mascots is huge in Japan, earning millions in sales from several products which adopt it, and an ecstatic but visibly overwhelmed designer of the winning mascot, Ryo Taniguchi who is an illustrator from Fukuoka stated that he wants to tell his “beloved wife” that he’s been “chosen”.
The 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic games are set to be held in Tokyo- the second time the city would be hosting the Olympics- and commonly known as Tokyo 2020, will be held between 24 July to 9 August, and 25 August to 6 September 2020 respectively in the New National Stadium under construction.
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