Tokyo Olympics organizers unveil torch for next year’s games

Japan Olympics Torch

The Olympic torches of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are displayed during a press conference in Tokyo Wednesday, March 20, 2019. The Tokyo Olympics open on July 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

TOKYO — Tokyo Olympics organizers have unveiled their torch for next year’s games, playing off the image of Japan’s famous cherry blossoms.

The cherry blossom is Japan’s most-loved flower. Organizers on Wednesday said the torch image was picked because the torch relay will begin a year from now in March when Japan’s cherry blossom trees are in full bloom across the country.

The flame will emerge from a five-petal configuration at the top of the torch. Organizers said the “torch and its emblem will feature strongly in the buildup to the games across the whole of Japan.”

Read more...