Author of book on 1964 Olympics sees parallels in Tokyo 2020's struggles

Apr 27, 2020 | News On Japan

Apr 27, 2020 (Japan Times) - The coronavirus outbreak has left the sports world in a state of suspended animation, with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics among major events put on hold.

But while Tokyo must wait until next year to put on its second Summer Games, it is no stranger to adversity when it comes to staging one of sport's premier events: The 1964 Tokyo Olympics â€” the first-ever Olympics held in Asia â€” faced great challenges from its inception.

Roy Tomizawa, a native of Queens, New York, has chronicled that struggle in his book titled, "1964 â€” The Greatest Year in the History of Japan: How the Tokyo Olympics Symbolized Japan's Miraculous Rise from the Ashes," released last year with a Japanese edition about to hit the shelves.

Tomizawa, 56, describes how a ravaged nation resurrected itself from the demoralization of defeat in World War II to completely transform its capital city in the five short years after Tokyo won the bid in 1959, including introducing the shinkansen bullet train.

But it is the stories of individuals and their struggles that bring the book to life.

There is Yoshinori Sakai, or "Atomic Bomb Boy," a 19-year-old torchbearer born in Hiroshima on the day the atomic bomb was dropped on the city on Aug. 6, 1945, who won hearts by striding confidently into the National Stadium to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony.

Or the Japanese women's volleyball team led by coach Hirofumi "Demon" Daimatsu and his "Oriental Witches," which resoundingly defeated the powerful Soviet Union to capture the gold medal and stoke a delirious outpouring of joy on the penultimate day of Olympic competition.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until next summer due to the coronavirus outbreak, but whether the games will still go forward depends on getting the worldwide pandemic under control. Many would see it as a triumph of human resilience if the games can kick off as currently planned in July next year.

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