Tokyo removes giant Olympic rings from city bay
Tokyo, Aug 11 (EFE).- Tokyo on Wednesday removed the giant Olympic rings that had been installed in the city’s bay for the Olympic Games.
They will be replaced next week by the three “Agitos” (Latin for “put in motion” and “keep going”), the symbol of the Paralympics that will kick off on Aug. 24 in the Japanese capital.
The Olympic rings, installed in January 2020 on a floating platform at the Odaiba Marine Park, were illuminated at night and have been one of the most visible symbols of the Tokyo Games.
The steel structure of the Olympic symbol, standing 15.3 meters (50 feet) tall and 32.6 m (107 feet) wide and weighing 69 tons, was removed on Wednesday by the organizers, three days after the closing ceremony of the Games was held at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
Tokyo metropolitan government planning director Atsushi Yanashimizu told reporters that the giant rings attracted many people wanting to see them and contributed to creating an atmosphere for the Games.
Next week, the local authorities and the organizing committee will proceed to install a giant structure of the Agitos, the symbol of the Paralympics made up of three curved shapes in green, blue and red.
The Agitos will be placed on the same floating platform in the Odaiba Marine Park, which hosted the triathlon and open water swimming events during the Olympic Games and will also host Paralympic competitions.
The Tokyo Paralympic Games will be held between Aug. 24 and Sep. 5.
The Olympic rings were temporarily removed for maintenance when the Games were postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. EFE
ahg-yk/pd/tw
