Tokyo is going to make history and preparations are going on for the staging of the Opening and Closing Events of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is expected that it will be the largest and most-watched ceremony of the year.
As part of the preparations, The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games have established a “Basic Policy” to deliver a ceremony production that fans and audiences will love, while at the same time highlighting the appeal of Japan and Tokyo to the world.
The “Basic Policy” defines our approach to the creative production of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The dates and venue of the Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies are as follows:
| Date | Venues | |
| Opening Ceremony | Fri 23 July, 2021 | Olympic Stadium |
| Closing Ceremony | Sun 8 August, 2021 | Olympic Stadium |
Basic Policy for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020
Section 1: Positioning of the Olympics and Paralympics Games Tokyo 2020
Significance of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020
| Historical Significance | Social Significance |
| The Tokyo 1964 Games were a symbol of Japanese post war reconstruction, a catalyst for economic growth and technological development, and proved essential in encouraging people with an impairment to participate in society through sport. When people look back on the Tokyo 2020 Games in 50 or 100 years’ time, the Games should be seen to have been a catalyst for change in culture, society and values leading to the realisation of a more sustainable, spiritually richer, happier society. | Economic, political and cultural divisions in the world are increasing. The Tokyo 2020 Games should wish for world peace, returning to the roots of the Olympic and Paralympic ideal by engendering unity, heightening the feeling of participation by everyone including the young and people with an impairment, and by transcending the barriers of nationality or ethnic background. The Tokyo 2020 Games will also communicate to the world the hope for continued development and prosperity in Asia |
| Game Vision |
| Sport has the power to change the world and our future. The Tokyo 1964 Games completely transformed Japan. The Tokyo 2020 Games, as the most innovative in history, will bring positive reform to the world by building on three core concepts: “Striving for your personal best (Achieving Personal Best)” “Accepting one another (Unity in Diversity)” “Passing on a legacy for the future (Connecting to Tomorrow)” |
Section 2: Opening and Closing Ceremonies Overall Concept
| 【Peace】Show that commitment to harmony leads to a world which transcends division and conflict |
| -Create an opportunity to overcome division and conflict through the coming together of athletes and spectators all over the world. -Contribute proactively to building peace through raising awareness of the importance of creating harmony through mutual respect without imposing one’s values on others. |
| 【Coexistence】Aspire to a coexistent society which creates new values through the recognition, support and leverage of diversity |
| -Recognize the importance of the tolerance required to recognise our differences and to support each other. -Work towards a better society through new values created when different entities come together and work with each other. |
| 【Reconstruction】Give courage to the world by overcoming natural disasters and persevering to create the next generation |
| -Hold the power of nature in awe, recognizing that humankind is also a part of nature. -Demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit through the process of reconstruction after natural disasters, and give courage to disaster victims throughout the world. |
| 【Future】 Create a starting line for a new, more sustainable, more richly human era |
| -Take advantage of this unique opportunity to inspire hope and dreams for the next 100 years in the youth of the world. -Create a new era of co-existence balancing nature and human society, based on the spirit of “wa” or harmony, recognizing the limits of the global environment. |
| 【Japan and Tokyo】 Cherish the sense of beauty that is a living product of Japan’s and Tokyo’s history |
| -Give expression to the beauty and flexibility that present-day Japan and Tokyo have inherited. -Leverage both local and global points of view to allow all peoples to enjoy Japan. |
| 【Athletes】 As a festival of sports, create ceremonies where the athletes are central and can participate stress-free |
| -The athletes are the leading participants in the ceremonies. The opening ceremonies should welcome and inspire the athletes from all over the world, and the closing ceremonies should exalt the strenuous efforts of the athletes during the Games and foster communication that transcends borders. -Endeavour to keep the ceremonies compact both physically and temporally so that participation in the ceremonies is not a burden on the athletes. |
| 【Involvement】 Create ceremonies which allow as many people as possible to feel involved in their making |
| -Stimulate interaction by creating opportunities for a broad spectrum of people to participate in planning and participating in the ceremonies. 〇Use technology to include people outside the stadium. |
| 【Excitement】 Create a once-in-a-lifetime, exciting and exhilarating experience |
| -Provide spectators and viewers with an exciting and amazing experience, faithful to the overall concept. -Create ceremonies that live on in the memories, especially of children. |
Section 3: The Positioning of the 4 Ceremonies
| One Ceremony in Four Distinct Acts |
| （Act One: Introduction) Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games |
| ・Position the curtain going up on the Tokyo 2020 Games as the introduction to the four ceremonies. ・Welcome athletes and spectators from around the world to the highest profile ceremony not only domestically but internationally. ・Communicate the Olympic bid concept as well as the historical and social significance of the Tokyo 2020 Games. |
| （Act Two: Development）Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games |
| ・Celebrate the strenuous efforts of the athletes during the Games. ・Unite the athletes and spectators into one whole. ・Carry over the excitement and exhilaration to the Paralympic Games. ・Create values for the next generation to inherit |
| （Act Three: Diversification）Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games |
| ・Tokyo is the first city to host a second Summer Paralympic Games. ・Communicate to the world the goal of creating a coexistent society where everyone respects and helps each other. ・Change opinion, searching for new possibilities that transcend preconceived ideas by mixing together various elements in new ways. |
| （Act Four: Conclusion）Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games |
| ・The finale of the overall Tokyo 2020 Games. ・Position the ceremony as the starting line of a new era of co-existence balancing nature and human society, anchored in the spirit of “wa” or harmony, leading to a sustainable future. ・Demonstrate the potential for world harmony and a bright future, and pass that on to the children and youth. |
