Read a chronology of the major events leading up to Tokyo 2020, from the announcement of Tokyo’s bid to host its second Games back in 2005 to the final countdown before the start of the challenge-filled, pandemic-postponed Games.
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Read a chronology of the major events leading up to Tokyo 2020, from the announcement of Tokyo’s bid to host its second Games back in 2005 to the final countdown before the start of the challenge-filled, pandemic-postponed Games.
Below is a chronology of the major events leading up to Tokyo 2020, from the announcement of Tokyo’s bid to host its second Games back in 2005 to the final countdown before the start of the challenge-filled, pandemic-postponed Games.
Other major events
| Year | Month | Tokyo 2020 Chronology |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sports community explores bid to host 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games | |
| 2005 | Sep. 20 | Tokyo formally announces candidacy as host of 2016 Games |
| 2006 | Aug. 30 | Tokyo selected over Fukuoka as Japanese host city in bid for 2016 Games |
| Nov. 19 | Tokyo bidding committee established | |
| 2008 | Jan. | Applicant file for 2016 Games submitted to IOC |
| Jan. 21 | National Training Center opens (in Kita-ku, Tokyo) | |
| June 4 | IOC selects four candidate cities for 2016 Games: Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, and Chicago | |
| Aug. 8–24 | 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing | |
| Sep. 6–17 | 2008 Summer Paralympics held in Beijing | |
| 2009 | Oct. 2 | Rio de Janeiro elected as host city of 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games at IOC Session in Copenhagen. Tokyo is eliminated in second round of voting. |
| 2010 | Feb. 12–28 | 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver |
| Mar. 12–21 | 2010 Winter Paralympics held in Vancouver | |
| 2011 | Mar. 11 | Great East Japan Earthquake |
| July 16 | Tokyo announces its candidacy to host 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games | |
| Sep. | Tokyo selected as Japan’s candidate city | |
| 2012 | Feb. | Applicant file for 2020 Games submitted to IOC |
| May | IOC selects three candidate cities for 2020 Games: Tokyo, Istanbul, and Madrid | |
| July 27–Aug. 12 | 2012 Summer Olympics held in London | |
| Aug. 29–Sep. 9 | 2012 Summer Paralympics held in London | |
| Nov. 15 | Zaha Hadid is awarded design contract for new national stadium | |
| 2013 | Sep. 8 |
IOC elects Tokyo as host city of 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games 
Tokyo is selected as the host city of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. |
| 2014 | Jan. 14 | Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) is established with Yoshiro Mori as president and Toshiro Muto as director general |
| Feb. 7–23 | 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi | |
| Mar. 7–16 | 2014 Winter Paralympics held in Sochi | |
| June 3 | Paralympic Research Group is established with Kazuo Ogoura as president | |
| Oct. 6–12 | 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games 50th Anniversary Commemorative Week is held, organized by JOC | |
| Dec. 8 | Olympic Agenda 2020 is adopted at IOC Session | |
| 2015 | May 15 |
Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Center established to support 2020 Paralympic Games and promote para sports 
The Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Center offers administrative assistance for para sports organizations. |
| July 17 | Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces that Zaha Hadid’s design for new national stadium has been cancelled and that a new design will be developed from scratch | |
| July 24 | Kenjiro Sano’s designs chosen as official Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic logos | |
| Sep. 1 | Sano’s designs are withdrawn after plagiarism allegations but are later verified not to have been plagiarized | |
| Dec. 22 | Kengo Kuma’s design is chosen for new national stadium | |
| 2016 | Apr. 25 | Asao Tokolo’s designs chosen as new official Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic logos 
Asao Tokolo holds up his designs for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic logos. |
| Aug. 5–21 | 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Sep. 7–18 | 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Dec. | Construction work on new national stadium begins, with 2,800 workers on site per day | |
| 2017 | Sep. 27 | Nippon Foundation Volunteer Support Center opens, established based on agreement between TOCOG and Nippon Foundation to cooperate and collaborate with volunteer operations |
| 2018 | Feb. 9–25 | 2018 Winter Olympics held in PyeongChang |
| Mar. 9–18 | 2018 Winter Paralympics held in PyeongChang | |
| June 1 | Nippon Foundation Para Arena opens—a barrier-free gymnasium dedicated to para sports | |
| 2019 | Mar. 19 | Tsunekazu Takeda announces his resignation as president of JOC, vice president of TOCOG, and member of IOC |
| July 4 | Yasuhiro Yamashita is appointed JOC president | |
| July 24 | 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games medal designs unveiled | |
| Oct. 16 | Announcement is made that Olympic marathon and race walking events will be held in Sapporo. Agreement is reached among IOC, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and TOCOG on Nov. 1 to formalize decision. | |
| Nov. 30 |
New national stadium, officially named Japan National Stadium but to be referred to as Olympic Stadium during Tokyo Games, is completed 
The newly completed Japan National Stadium will be called Olympic Stadium during Tokyo 2020. |
|
| Dec. 9 | World Anti-Doping Agency bans Russia from Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and global sports for four years because of doping and data manipulation | |
| Dec. 21 | Opening event is held at Japan National Stadium with 52,000 spectators | |
| 2020 | Jan. 16 | First case of COVID-19 is detected in Japan |
| Jan. 20 | Japanese team’s official uniform (white jackets and red bottoms) for Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is unveiled | |
| Feb. 27 | In a conference call with media, IOC President Thomas Bach emphasizes that 2020 Games will go ahead as planned | |
| IOC member Dick Pound mentions possibility of one-year postponement | ||
| Feb. 28 | International Paralympic Committee (IPC) releases a statement commenting that preparations by IPC and IOC for Tokyo Paralympics are proceeding as scheduled | |
| Mar. 11 | WHO declares COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic | |
| Mar. 12 | Olympic flame lighting ceremony held without spectators in Olympia, Greece | |
| Mar. 16 | Prime Minister Abe tells G7 leaders that Tokyo Games will be held in “complete form” | |
| Mar. 17 | IOC confirms during Executive Board teleconference its intention to continue preparations for Tokyo Olympic Games, commenting “with more than four months to go before the Games, there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage” | |
| Mar. 20 |
Tokyo 2020 Olympic flame arrives at Japan Air Self-Defense Force Matsushima Base in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture 
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic flame arrives in Japan from Greece. |
|
| Mar. 24 | Announcement is made following teleconference between Prime Minister Abe and IOC President Bach that Tokyo Games will be postponed for one year due to the pandemic but will still retain 2020 in its official name. Also participating in the conference are TOCOG President Mori, Minister for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Seiko Hashimoto, and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. | |
| Mar. 30 | New dates are decided at meeting of IOC Executive Board. Tokyo Olympics will start on July 23 for 17-day period in 2021 while Paralympics will start on Aug. 24 for 13-day period. | |
| Apr. 3 | Nippon Foundation Para Arena is temporarily converted into a medical facility to house COVID-19 patients | |
| Apr. 7 | State of emergency is declared for Tokyo, Osaka, and five other prefectures due to rising COVID-19 cases, and it is extended nationwide on Apr. 16 | |
| Apr. 20 | Ajinomoto National Training Center cancels activities due to state of emergency | |
| May 25 | State of emergency is fully lifted | |
| May 27 | Ajinomoto National Training Center resumes activities | |
| July 23 |
One-year-to-go event is held without spectators. Swimmer Rikako Ikee, who returned to competition after overcoming leukemia, sends message to world’s athletes. 
Swimmer Rikako Ikee overcame leukemia to qualify for the Olympic Games. |
|
| Sep. 4 | Coordination Meeting for COVID-19 Countermeasures at Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 is held | |
| Sep. 25 | IOC and TOCOG agree on 52 measures aimed at simplifying the Games, including reduction of stakeholder personnel | |
| Sep. 28 | Announcement is made that 121-day Olympic torch relay will kick off on Mar. 25, 2021, in J-Village, Fukushima Prefecture | |
| Oct. 30 | TOCOG decides to accept refund requests on Olympic tickets already sold | |
| Oct. 30–Nov. 1 | Demonstration trial is conducted during three professional baseball games at Yokohama Stadium to verify how COVID countermeasures can be implemented at large-scale events | |
| Nov. 15–18 | IOC President Bach visits Japan to meet with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and inspect Japan National Stadium | |
| Dec. 12 | Seven-member creative planning team for opening and closing ceremonies, led by Mansai Nomura, disbands, and new team leader, Hiroshi Sasaki, is appointed | |
| 2021 | Jan. 7 | Second state of emergency is declared for Tokyo and three other prefectures |
| Feb. 12 | Yoshiro Mori announces his resignation as TOCOG president | |
| Feb. 18 | Seiko Hashimoto, former minister for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, is appointed new TOCOG president. Tamayo Marukawa assumes Hashimoto’s former post. | |
| Feb. 19 | Prime Minister Suga wins firm support at G7 Summit for holding Olympic and Paralympic Games | |
| Feb. 24 | TOCOG establishes Gender Equality Promotion Team, headed by sports director Mikako Kotani | |
| Mar. 3 | TOCOG announces 12 new female members to its executive board, including Sydney marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi, raising women’s share of TOCOG executive board members from 20% to 42% | |
| Mar. 10 | Thomas Bach is reelected president of IOC | |
| Mar. 11 | China announces it will provide COVID-19 vaccines for Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic athletes | |
| Mar. 18 | Hiroshi Sasaki resigns as creative head of opening and closing ceremonies after sharing “inappropriate idea” with colleagues | |
| Mar. 20 | TOCOG announces that overseas spectators will not be allowed into Japan for Tokyo 2020 Games. IOC and IPC accept this decision. | |
| Mar. 22 | Second state of emergency is lifted | |
| Mar. 25 | Olympic torch relay kicks off in J-Village, Fukushima. Many Japanese celebrities announce they will not participate as torch runners. | |
| Apr. 1 | Nippon Foundation Para Arena is reopened for use by para athletes | |
| Apr. 5 | Citing pandemic, North Korea announces it will not participate in Tokyo Games | |
| Apr. 16 | Prime Minister Suga wins support of US President Joe Biden at Japan-US summit meeting for Suga’s determination to host Tokyo Games as symbol of global unity | |
| Apr. 22 | Third state of emergency is declared for Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and six other prefectures | |
| Apr. 28 | TOCOG announces that decision regarding spectator capacity at Olympic and Paralympic venues will be made in June in line with government’s general COVID-19 guidance concerning upper limit of spectator capacity in sports events. Decision is based on agreement reached during online conference among Japanese national and Tokyo governments, IOC, and IPC. | |
| Second edition of Tokyo 2020 Playbook for athletes and officials is released | ||
| Apr. 30 | Second edition of Tokyo 2020 Playbooks for international federations, press, and marketing partners is released | |
| May 7 | Third state of emergency is extended through end of May | |
| May 10 | IOC President Bach postpones his Olympic torch running plans in Hiroshima | |
| May 20 | IOC President Bach announces his intention to visit Japan on July 12 | |
| May 21 | John Coates, head of IOC’s Coordination Commission for Tokyo Games, comments he believes Olympics can be held in Tokyo despite COVID-19, even during state of emergency | |
| May 24 | US State Department raises travel advisory for Japan to Level 4 but issues statement saying this will not affect American athletes attending Tokyo Games | |
| June 1 | Vaccinations start for Japanese Olympic athletes and personnel. Tsuyoshi Fukui, head of Japanese delegation for Tokyo Games; Mitsugi Ogata, Japanese Olympic team’s general manager; and 200 personnel from six athletic organizations vaccinated at Japan Institute of Sports Sciences. | |
| Australia’s softball team arrives in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, becoming first Tokyo 2020 Olympic team to arrive in Japan from overseas | ||
| June 2 | Tokyo cancels all public viewing events at Yoyogi Park during Tokyo Games | |
| Shigeru Omi, chairman of government COVID-19 advisory panel, says holding Tokyo Games in midst of pandemic is “not normal,” sounding alarm bells | ||
| June 15 | Updated version of Tokyo 2020 Playbook for athletes and officials, including guidelines for COVID-19 countermeasures, is released. Penalties for noncompliance include warnings, fines, and expulsion from the Games. | |
| IOC Vice President John Coates visits Japan | ||
| June 18 | COVID-19 advisor Shigeru Omi says it is better to stage Tokyo Games without spectators, adding that if spectators are to be allowed, attendance caps should be stricter than upper limits currently in place for large events in Japan | |
| June 19 | Member of Uganda’s national team tests positive for COVID-19 on arrival in Japan at Narita Airport | |
| June 20 | Third state of emergency lifted as Tokyo and other areas shift to quasi-emergency measures | |
| June 22 | Tokyo Governor Koike is hospitalized due to severe fatigue | |
| June 23 | Rules announced permitting venues to admit up to 10,000 spectators or 50% of capacity but banning alcohol beverages | |
| June 24 | Yasuhiko Nishimura, grand steward of Imperial Household Agency, divulges the Emperor appeared concerned that holding Tokyo Games may lead to rise in infections | |
| July 8 | Announcement made that Olympic events in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa will be held without spectators | |
| July 9 | Announcement made that Olympic events in Hokkaido will be held without spectators | |
| July 10 | Announcement made that Olympic events in Fukushima will be held without spectators | |
| July 12 | Fourth state of emergency is declared for Tokyo through Aug. 22 | |
| July 21 | Olympic preliminaries start for soccer and softball events | |
| July 22 | State of emergency is declared for Kanagawa | |
| July 23 | Opening ceremony for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games | |
| Aug. 8 | Closing ceremony for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games | |
| Aug. 24 | Opening ceremony for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games | |
| Sep. 5 | Closing ceremony for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games |