Sport Marks 100 Days Until Rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
The IOC has been joined by a host of governing bodies and organisations celebrating the 100 days to go milestone of the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The landmark day comes just over a year after the Games was postponed at the end of March 2020, and moved back one year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The IOC says the Games will be a ‘celebration of humanity, courage and resilience’, which will help to ‘reunite a scarred world’.
Today marks 100 days to go until the Olympic Games #Tokyo2020!#UnitedByEmotion @Olympics pic.twitter.com/pBDMhjwBRz
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) April 14, 2021
Meanwhile, Team GB marked a ‘dual celebration’, looking forward to this summer’s event while looking back on 125 years of British Olympians going to the Olympic Games.
To mark the occasion, Team GB launched a new film (above) fronted by Rio 2016 bronze medallist and recently crowned three-time European taekwondo champion Bianca Walkden. As part of the team’s ‘This Is What Makes Us’ campaign building up to the rescheduled Games, the film pays homage to the ‘trailblazers’ of British and Olympic history, celebrating the pioneers who have shaped the country’s past.
It also recognises the opportunity the current crop of athletes has to write the country’s future story, exploring the UK’s diversity, history, shared values, and passion for sport.
“With just 100 days until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games our preparations are progressing really well,” said Mark England, Team GB’s Tokyo 2020 Chef de Mission.
“Understandably, we have had to adapt to the changing climate and make some changes to our plans and we are fortunate that facilities such as our Preparation Camp and Performance Lodge will be safe, secure and fully functional thanks to all of our stakeholders in Japan.
“Team GB will be around 370 athletes strong, and we are still on course to qualify more women than men which is a brilliant opportunity for us to make history in Tokyo and will hopefully be a source of great inspiration for women and girls back at home. We have every confidence that we are going to take a very strong team to the Games, which I believe will be a unique and special chance to celebrate sport and humanity globally.”
Elsewhere, Paris 2024 – the location of the following Olympic Games – has also celebrated the milestone, with an #EnRoutePourTokyo campaign across its social media platforms. The official account of the 2024 Games also used the 100 Day To Go until the Tokyo edition milestone to announce that the French Olympic and Paralympic teams will, for the first time, compete as one single ‘Equipe de France’ in a bid to unite its athletes under one banner, and allowing each competitor to ‘share the same story’.
For the first time in Olympic history, the French Olympic and Paralympic delegations will also be led by a pair of athletes – male and female – during the Tokyo opening ceremonies as the team looks to make a stand for equality,
Other organisations, such as Team GB partners Dreams and Aldi, also marked the occasion.
With only 100 sleeps until the @Tokyo2020 Olympic Games, our @TeamGB athletes are getting into serious training mode, warming up for… a quality night’s sleep with Dreams @shaunacoxsey @MaddieHinch @maxwhitlock1 @jadejonestkd @LauraKenny31 @JasonKenny107 #Tokyo2020 #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/EMd0g5km3v
— Dreams Beds (@Dreams_Beds) April 14, 2021
Dreams released a new video featuring a host of athletes, as well as releasing a survey revealing athletes’ attitudes to sleep and how they differ from the general public’s.
According to the brand, 98% of athletes agree that sleep is important to their performance. Meanwhile some 58% of Team GB athletes sleep an average of eight to 10+ hours a night, while 66% of everyday Brits sleep for fewer than eight hours – with 21% averaging just six hours per night.
