We were so looking forward to seeing the world's biggest sporting event during the summer holidays of 2020: the Tokyo Olympic Games. Approximately 10.000 athletes from around 200 countries were expected to participate. As is well known, the Games in Tokyo have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and are now scheduled for the summer of 2021. The organization of the Games has a long history, from the selection of the city to the construction of the venues. Why did Tokyo miss out on hosting the Olympic Games in previous years? Was that a coincidence, or was it based on the course of world history? In this 20th (anniversary) coronavirus blog, the following topics will be covered: the IOC, the Olympic Games of 1940, 1948, 1964, and 2020, the Olympic flame, Tokyo 2020 expenses, and Dutch successes.

1940 Olympic Games (Tokyo, Helsinki, cancelled)

Before 1940, the Olympic Games were organized by European countries and the United States. That Tokyo's bid stood a chance was primarily due to the efforts of the Japanese athletes. During successive Games, the athletes performed increasingly better. At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games, a place in the top 5 of the medal standings was achieved for the first time. Japan was becoming a significant sporting nation. The Japanese government understood the propaganda value of organizing the Games for domestic use (for the unity of the country and the suppression of dissenting voices). Internationally, it was a tremendous recognition. Furthermore, Japan was able to distinguish itself as a leading nation among non-Western countries.

[/ One_half] [one_half_last]                       In July 1936, Tokyo was chosen by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) as the city to host the 12th Olympic Games. Japan celebrated en masse with fireworks and many Japanese and Olympic flags in the streets. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]          Japan strived for more power and prestige in the world. This was not achieved solely through lobbying for international events. In July 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out. From the previously conquered Manchuria, the Japanese invaded eastern China and captured the cities of Beijing and Shanghai. Ultimately, this war lasted from 1931 until the end of World War II in 1945. Many countries wondered whether Tokyo should still be allowed to host the Olympic Games. Given the negative experiences of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin under Adolf Hitler, many countries were opposed to Tokyo. The IOC did not want to deviate from its earlier choice of Tokyo.

Japan had by then established a war economy. They needed all their people and resources during the war with China. Ultimately, in 1938, Japan decided to withdraw as organizer of the Games. The Games were too expensive for a country at war. It was also difficult to organize a sporting event for the entire world amidst the dead on the battlefield.

When the Games were selected in 1936, Finland came second behind Japan. Helsinki was to host the 1940 Games and they started designing labels (in four languages ​​(English, German, French, and Swedish)), below is one label in Swedish. In addition, seven other labels were designed. See below.

In September 1939, the Second World War began, and the 12th Olympic Games were cancelled. In 1940, only an athletics meeting between Finns, Swedes, and Germans took place in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. In Tokyo, there were East Asian Games with six participating countries.

The Finnish Post designed seven stamps for the Games that were never issued. The second choice from 1940 (Helsinki) was finally allowed to host the Olympic Games in 1952 after London (1948).

1948 Olympic Games (London)

The first Olympic Games after 1936 (Berlin) and after the Second World War took place in London in 1948. Tokyo, as the loser of the Second World War, was not eligible. Germany and Japan did not even receive an invitation to the 1948 Games. London was awarded the previously assigned Games of 1944. The war cost a great deal, causing the Games to be considered a meager Olympiad in terms of food and accommodation.

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                  In 1924, an agreement between France, Spain, and the United Kingdom established 'Tangier' as an 'international zone'. Until that time, the city had used British stamps with the 'Morocco Agencies' overprint or overprints of Spanish currency (naturally with issues from the French and Spanish postal agencies for their own offices). However, it was not until 1927 that British stamps with the 'Tangier' overprint were issued, and until 1948, issues were limited to the lowest denominations. Fanny Blankers-Koen (1918–2004) won four gold medals at the London Games. At the age of thirty, Fanny Blankers-Koen was not considered one of the contenders by the British press beforehand. She was deemed too old. These reports managed to inspire her to unprecedented performances. She was the fastest in the 100 and 200 meters and the 80-meter hurdles. She also led the 4 x 100-meter relay team to gold. Since 1981, the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games have been held in Hengelo, the largest international athletics competition in the Netherlands. The athletics stadium for these competitions is also named after her: the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium. In 1999, Blankers-Koen was chosen as International Athlete of the 20th Century by the International Athletics Federation, the IAAF.

1964 Olympic Games (Tokyo)

The Olympic Games of the XVIII Olympiad were held in Tokyo in 1964. In addition to Tokyo, Brussels, Detroit, and Vienna had also attempted to host the Games. The 1964 Games were the first to be held in Asia.

The organization of the Games was impeccable, thanks to a budget of twenty-six million dollars. The sports facilities were virtually perfect, with an impressive stadium and a gigantic Olympic swimming pool. The Olympic Village was also a gem. Despite this magnificent infrastructure, the Games seemingly lacked enthusiasm and warmth. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]                 In 1964, Anton Geesink won gold in the open category at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Judo was on the program as a sport for the first time that year, and to the dismay of the home crowd, he defeated their favorite, Akio Kaminaga, in the final. In 1965, he became world champion again in Rio de Janeiro, this time in the heavyweight division. Geesink holds a record 21 European judo titles, but he also became Dutch champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1957, 1958, and 1959. He was also elected Sportsman of the Year four times.

After his sports career, Geesink announced that he wanted to dedicate himself to the IOC. In 1987, during the IOC Congress in Istanbul, he was nominated as a candidate by IOC President Samaranch against the two official Dutch candidates, Henk Vonhoff and Ruud Frese. Geesink won, and he assumed that this must have been a painful defeat for the NOC, which possibly explains the opposition he faced throughout his career. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]               [/ One_half_last]

2020 Olympic Games (Tokyo)

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are scheduled for July 23 to August 8, 2021. The world's largest sporting event was initially to be held from July 24 to August 9, 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Olympic Games were postponed by a year. The host city remained the Japanese capital, Tokyo. The year in the naming remained unchanged. They are called the Games of the 32nd Olympiad, but in fact, it is the 29th effective edition of the Summer Games since 1896, as three editions did not take place due to the two world wars.

Between May 27 and September 1, 2011, cities could submit their candidacy to the IOC as host. These were Baku, Doha, Istanbul, Madrid, Rome, and Tokyo. The cities then had until February 15, 2012, to submit their plans and guarantees to the IOC. Rome withdrew in the meantime because the Italian government could not afford the Olympic Games during this time of economic crisis. Based on the submitted plans and guarantees, the IOC eliminated Baku and Doha and named the three remaining cities as the official candidate cities. For Istanbul, it was the fifth attempt after 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012, and for Madrid, the third consecutive candidacy. For Tokyo, it was the first attempt since it had hosted the Games in 1964.

The three candidate cities subsequently had until January 7, 2013, to submit their bid books. The IOC Evaluation Committee visited the candidate cities between February and April. The committee presented the evaluation report in June. On September 7, 2013, the IOC selected Tokyo as the host city for the 125th IOC Congress, held from September 7 to 10, 2013, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Below is the special stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Pierre de Coubertin that was used during the IOC session.   After 56 years, the Summer Olympic Games are returning to the Japanese city of Tokyo. From July 24 to August 9, 2020, at least 206 countries were set to compete with approximately 10.000 athletes in a total of 33 sports and 50 disciplines. The old Olympic Stadium from 1964 was demolished and replaced by a new building costing approximately 1,1 billion euros. The building accommodates 68.000 spectators, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics and football events.

The IOC has added five sports—baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, climbing, and surfing—to the list of Olympic sports. Additionally, badminton and taekwondo are making their debut at the 2020 Paralympics. All these new Olympic sports will be played for the first time at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Japan Issues by Japan to support both Games. Printed by Joh. Enschedé Stamps (bottom left sheet).

 

 

Have Olympic Games stamps from other countries already been issued in 2020? The IOC has decided not to change the year 2020 in the naming, so Tokyo 2020 in 2021. No overprints needed. Northern Macedonia 

 

North Macedonia has karate as a sport (in mini-sheet of nine seals). Karate is a new Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games. Karate is a martial art that originated in the Ryukyu Islands, including the island of Okinawa, Japan. It originated from the fusion of Chinese Kempo (also known as Kenpo) and the indigenous martial arts of Okinawa, which were called te (?, literally “hand”).

Cyprus Cyprus has opted for two issues related to Tokyo 2020. The first issue consists of four stamps with values ​​of €0,34, €0,41, €0,64, and €0,75. The four stamps feature Japanese backgrounds, such as Mount Fuji, a Shinto gate, temples, and elements of the Japanese flag. In my opinion, one of the better Tokyo 2020 issues, printed by Baltic Banknote High Security Printing.

  The second issue is the marathon runner 'Stelios Kyriakides'. The issue consists of two stamps, each with a value of €0,34, in a sheet of eight stamps. Germany Every year, the German Post publishes a sports series 'Für den Sport'. This year (May 7, 2020), the new Olympic sports in Tokyo were chosen: climbing (80+40), skateboarding (95+45), karate (155+55). Liechtenstein  As always, Liechtenstein commissioned an artist from the host country to design Liechtenstein's Olympic brands. Keiko Yamano painted the two motifs 'Synchronized Swimming' (CHF 1,70) and 'Judo' (CHF 2,80) in acrylic. The artist worked as a university lecturer in linguistics in Japan until 2000. A health crisis and a confrontation with mortality led her to painting. Most of her works are created using traditional Japanese colors in oil paint, but she is also proficient in the art of calligraphy. She primarily exhibits her work at exhibitions in her home country of Tokyo. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]              Because the decision to postpone the Games was only made after the stamps had been printed, Liechtenstein was unfortunately unable to stop the issue; the stamps appeared on June 2, 2020. For this reason, you hold stamps of a certain rarity value. The stamps bearing the date that the Olympic Games never took place will later always remind you in your collection of the memorable year 2020, when a global pandemic made history. Slovakia  The Slovakian stamp (€1,55) featuring a relay race was planned for the XXXII Summer Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, but it only refers to the red circle symbolizing the Japanese national flag, the logo of the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee with the Olympic rings, and the year of issue 2020. In fact, the stamp will not be issued until 2021 (new date: April 14, 2021), thus multiplying the aforementioned paradox: the issue for the event with the year 2020 taking place in 2021, and the description of the year of issue 2020, while the stamp is not issued until 2021. The reason: the Slovak Post has already printed the stamp in advance but does not intend to destroy it and will simply issue it next year according to the 2020 design.

Are they original designs? The Netherlands has an extra year to come up with an original design. For example, featuring sports where TeamNL has a chance of winning gold medals, images of sports becoming 'Olympic' for the first time in Tokyo, or sports in the form of Japanese comics.

Olympic flame

The fire originates from Olympia (the site of the ancient Games in Greece), where a torch was lit during a ceremony by concentrating sunlight onto it using mirrors. A fire burned on the altar of Hestia, Zeus, and Hera in Olympia. In the modern Olympic Games, the flame is lit at the site of the Temple of Hera. However, in the absence of sunlight or due to rain during this ceremony, the torch is lit using a small fire pot. Subsequently, this torch is carried to the Games stadium via a relay race, but also partially by faster means of transport over land, sea, and air, passing through a large number of countries, where the final runner has the honor of lighting the Olympic flame. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]                   [/ One_half_last]

The modern Olympic flame burned for the first time during the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, in a bowl atop the 46-meter-high Marathon Tower in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. The lighting of the fire was not performed by a famous athlete, as later became customary, but by an employee of the gas company. At that time, there was no relay.

The Olympic torch relay is an idea of ​​the German Carl Diem, and was first implemented during the 1936 Olympic Games. Adolf Hitler watched as athlete Fritz Schilgen descended the stadium steps with the torch. He was the last in a series of athletes carefully chosen for their Aryan appearance who had carried the flame from Olympia to Berlin, 3422 kilometers away.

Greece Olympia, March 12, 2020 – The Greek priestess lights the Olympic flame. The fire is passed on via a torch carried by Greek Anna Korakaki (23) to other torchbearers until Tokyo. For the first time, the honor of being the first torchbearer belongs to a woman. The 23-year-old Korakaki won gold in the pistol shootout at the 25-meter distance at the 2016 Rio Games. She also won a bronze medal in the 10-meter event.

Japan The intention was for the flame to arrive in Tokyo on July 24, 2020, where it would be extinguished during the closing ceremony on August 9, 2020. For part of the journey, the torch for the Tokyo Games burns on hydrogen instead of gas. Japan aims to make the Games as sustainable as possible. No CO2 is released during the combustion of hydrogen.

2021 Olympic Games (Tokyo)

During the first quarter of 2020, following the onset of the global coronavirus crisis, pressure mounted on the Japanese Olympic Games organizers and the International Olympic Committee to prevent the Games from taking place in the summer of 2020. After several countries, such as Brazil, and major sports federations like the US Swimming and Athletics federations indicated they would not send a delegation, the decision was made in March 2020 to postpone the Games until 2021. Shortly thereafter, new start and end dates were set: July 23 through August 8, 2021. If the Olympic Games in Tokyo cannot go ahead next year, they will be cancelled. IOC President Thomas Bach said this on the British broadcaster BBC. Japanese Prime Minister Abe announced in late April 2020 that the Games could only proceed once the coronavirus had been brought under control. Bach understands this position. The IOC rejects further postponement. "You cannot change the calendars of all the major sports federations every year," said Bach. He also wants to provide clarity to the participants.  

Olympic info

Tokyo 2020 sites: https://www.olympic.org/tokyo-2020 https://tokyo2020.org/en/ https://teamnl.org/  

 

More Info

National Government: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ RIVM: https://www.rivm.nl/ Worldometers Corona: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ Corona dictionary: https://www.taalbank.nl/2020/03/14/coronawoordenboek/ FAQ NRC Corona: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/02/02/wat-we-tot-nu-toe-weten-over-het-coronavirus-a3989006 You can find more Corona blogs at:  https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/coronavirus/