Tokyo Olympics organizers unveil torch for next year’s games

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.”