The Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands livestreamed the Vincent Van Gogh & Tokyo Olympic online event in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan on July 9.   Curators and researchers at the Van Gogh Museum took part in the digital event which was hosted on TeamNL Tokyo Expo. In addition, researcher Joost van der Hoeven and Olympic athletes Candy Jacobs and Keet Oldenbeuving will make a sporty contribution to the livestream. Their sport skateboarding is an Olympic discipline for the first time.   The event served to strengthen Netherlands-Japan ties at the upcoming Olympic Games.

Lacoste launched its 'REGENERATION' project in April to turn the brand's second-hand clothes into artwork. The first instalment of the environmentally-considered project received huge praise, finishing collections of old clothing on May 31. The 488 items received will serve as the base for various products and art. The next step is the REGENERATION phase which invites various artists on board.  

Upcycle Artists

 

Marie

 

Hikaru Matsubara

 

Furniture Artist

 

Fuyuki Shimazu

Artists participating in the project include Marie who's active in working against environmental and societal problems through fashion and Hikaru Matsubara who has won awards at various art fairs up and down Japan. The products are planned for release on August 18 with more info set to roll out on Lacoste Japan's official website in the lead up. Fuyuki Shimazu, an artist who makes furniture from cardboard boxes, is also involved in the project. The three artists are working to add value to items that have seemingly lost it by turning Lacoste's second hand clothes into something that can be used by the next person.

Sports and culture site WAGTI Inc. released the Lucky Cat Tokyo Edition on May 11. The item is part of the Olympic Heritage Collection, an item series officially licensed by the Olympics.The Lucky Cat Tokyo Edition features designs that fuses the traditional Japanese waving cat with manga. Exclusive to Olympic Heritage, the designs were created by two legends of the manga industry: Leiji Matsumoto who is perhaps best known for Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999, and Yoichi Takahashi who penned the classic Captain Tsubasa.   This high-end art collection is a celebration of iconic moments from the Tokyo 1964 Olympics. It serves as a remembrance of that time, memorialising the Games' history.  

Feel the love from Matsumoto and Takahashi

Tokyo 1964 was a celebration of post-war Japan, a country no longer a wartime enemy, and a perfect opportunity to show its appeal to the world. Not only did Japan as a country see reformations, but sports there did too. Leiji Matsumoto has said that his memory of the Olympics, when he was in his 20's, is still fresh in mind. He found his joy in the swimming events which are captured in the artwork for his Lucky Cat. Yoichi Takahashi, who released one of the most famous football manga series to the world, created his design in support of the football events in The Olympics and Paralympics. Both cats serve as a symbol of good luck and embody not only Tokyo 1964 but Tokyo 2020 too.

Airbnb, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have announced a five-day summer festival which will see more than 100 Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences hosted virtually by some of the world's best athletes. The festival will begin on July 24, when the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were originally scheduled to begin, and is a way for athletes to earn an income while they share their passion for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and their individual sport with guests.   The five-day line-up, which will take place across multiple time zones, will showcase a variety of interactive Online Experiences that guests can book on Airbnb from July 22. Spectators can also watch select Online Experiences live or on replay on the Airbnb Olympic and Paralympic YouTube channels. While many hosts will continue to offer their activities after the event ends, several will be once-in-a-lifetime Online Experiences available exclusively during the festival. These exclusive experiences are the following: 25 July: Build resilience to overcome obstacles with Yusra Mardini (swimming, IOC Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016); learn about returning to sport after motherhood with Allyson Felix (athletics, USA); and work up a sweat in an inclusive session with Tatyana McFadden (athletics, USA) 26 July: Cook up a storm with legend Colin Jackson (athletics, Great Britain); join a scenic training ride with Jonny Brownlee (triathlon, Great Britain); discover velodrome secrets with Elia Viviani (track cycling, Italy)   27 July: Chat mind, body and spirit with Jackie Joyner-Kersee (athletics, USA); push through boundaries and level up in life with Meb Keflezighi (marathon, USA); get vulnerable to unlock greatness with Kerri Walsh Jennings (beach volleyball, USA); and Zumba beachside in paradise with Tom Hintnaus (athletics, Brazil) 28 July: Get a glimpse into quarantine training with two-time Grand Slam-winning Naomi Osaka (tennis, Japan); run, breathe and connect with a sprinter Zhenye Xie (athletics, China); learn a Grand Slam-inspired training regime with Sania Mirza (tennis, India); and master perseverance with Pita Taufatofua (taekwondo and cross-country skiing, Tonga) 29 July: Fall in love with sneaker culture with Rui Hachimura (basketball, Japan); get up close and personal at home with Jordy Smith (surfing, South Africa); see beyond the boundaries of vision with blind champion Lex Gillette (athletics, USA)  

Rui Hachimura | Comment

"Representing Japan in the Olympics is one of my biggest dreams. I had trained and prepared to participate in the Games this year, but Tokyo 2020 was unfortunately postponed due to COVID-19. The world is facing tough challenges right now, but I believe the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will be a wonderful chance to celebrate everyone's determination through this time. I'm looking forward to celebrating together with my teammates in front of fans in my home country. The Olympics as I know them won't have an effect on motivation to perform, even if they're hold a year later. As an athlete, I want to see the happy figures of my fans around the world. Let us come together and keep on fighting. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in Tokyo next year." *Comment translated from Japanese by MMN.   Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences will provide economic opportunities for athletes to help support them.

SEGA has revealed that Sonic at the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020™ has pre-registered 2 million users across Android, iOS, and FireOS platforms.  

What is Sonic at the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020™?

As the title suggests, it's a mobile game that features characters from across the Sonic the Hedgehog series at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. Set to release worldwide on May 7, 2020, it features both new and popular games that are set to take place at Tokyo 2020ーwhich has now been postponed to July 2021. Players can rank online on the worldwide leaderboard while they compete in games set around famous sights in Tokyo.   To celebrate 2 million registered users, players are being gifted with the song Glimmering Gift - Super Transformation (SONIC MANIA) from the soundtrack as well as Training Points which can be used to unlock character actions and new stages. SEGA Japan is also holding a competition on its official Twitter account. 5 people who follow the account and retweet the competition tweet will receive the above-pictured exclusive jacket.   Pre-register for the game here: https://www.olympicvideogames.com/sonic/en/   TM IOC/TOKYO2020/USOC 36USC220506. © 2019 IOC. All RightsReserved. ©SEGA.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and Airbnb announced in December last year a major long-term partnership to support the Olympic Movement which will run from 2020-2028. During this period, Airbnb will offer unique accommodation and experiences, and experience tours hosted by Olympians and athletes will also take place.The IOC, IPC, and Airbnb are currently actively recruiting hosts to offer these services. These Olympic and Paralympic hosts include not only those who have participated in previous Olympic games, but those set to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics (henceforth Tokyo 2020) too. Olympians and Paralympians will not only share their wisdom about the games and their sports, but their skills, knowledge, and experiences with things other than sports that they are also passionate about, e.g. the best way to brew delicious coffee, useful business self-motivation tips for setting goals and building confidence, and so on. Athletes will also be able to freely pick the dates and times they can offer these experiences that best align with their schedules. Daichi Suzuki, Sports Director and the President of the Japan Olympians Committeeーwho also has experience as an Olympic athlete himselfーsaid: “I think it’s a really wonderful thing that athletes in Japan are helping to grow the value of the Olympics and Paralympics through sports with the support of Airbnb while using the opportunity to think about their careers to give rise to new experiences. I expect Olympians and Payalympians will use the Tokyo 2020 games as a framework to carve a second career for themselves, and that it will be part of the legacy of the games.” *Translated from Japanese   To date, Airbnb’s ‘Experience’ service in Japan has provided new careers for people and has been an opportunity for people to earn an income. This is done by people opening up their houses to travellers, or vacant properties being shared by travellers, to teach them a new skillーall of which is done under the support of Airbnb. The Experience service has garnered huge popularity around the world from foreign travellers for the diversity activities offered; there is something for everyone, no matter their age nor gender. Airbnb’s collaboration with IOC will provide the opportunity for people to experience interacting with athletes, while also providing a second career for Japanese Olympians and Paralympians, whether they are competing this year or have retired.