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Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

  • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
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    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
  • The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
    2/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
  • Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassadors, actress Satomi Ishihara, paralympian Aki Taguchi and judoist Tadahiro Nomura unveil the Olympic torchbeares' uniform during a Torch Relay event in Tokyo
    3/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassadors, actress Satomi Ishihara, paralympian Aki Taguchi and judoist Tadahiro Nomura unveil the Olympic torchbeares' uniform during a Torch Relay event in Tokyo
  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

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    Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

  • Uniforms for torchbearers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and route maps of the torch relay are displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
    4/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Uniforms for torchbearers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and route maps of the torch relay are displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
  • Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori attends a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay, in Tokyo
    5/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori attends a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay, in Tokyo
  • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
    6/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

    Yahoo News is better in the app

    Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

  • Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassador and actress Satomi Ishihara presents the Olympic torchbearers' uniform in Tokyo
    7/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassador and actress Satomi Ishihara presents the Olympic torchbearers' uniform in Tokyo
  • The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
    8/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
  • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
    9/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

    Yahoo News is better in the app

    Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

  • The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
    10/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
  • Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassador and actress Satomi Ishihara presents the Olympic torchbearers' uniform in Tokyo
    11/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassador and actress Satomi Ishihara presents the Olympic torchbearers' uniform in Tokyo
  • Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike attends a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay, in Tokyo
    12/12

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay route revealed, uniforms unveiled

    Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike attends a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay, in Tokyo
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassadors, actress Satomi Ishihara, paralympian Aki Taguchi and judoist Tadahiro Nomura unveil the Olympic torchbeares' uniform during a Torch Relay event in Tokyo
Uniforms for torchbearers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and route maps of the torch relay are displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori attends a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay, in Tokyo
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassador and actress Satomi Ishihara presents the Olympic torchbearers' uniform in Tokyo
The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa holds the torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
The Olympic torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is displayed at a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the torch relay, in Tokyo
Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassador and actress Satomi Ishihara presents the Olympic torchbearers' uniform in Tokyo
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike attends a Torch Relay event to mark the 300-day milestone to the starting date of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay, in Tokyo
By Jack Tarrant

By Jack Tarrant

TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo 2020 organizers on Saturday unveiled the uniforms to be worn by 10,000 volunteer runners during the torch relay and presented further details about the route the relay will take.

Organizers said the torch will travel through all 47 of Japan's prefectures - from Hokkaido in the north to the southern island of Okinawa - and most of the country will have the chance to see the torch with 98% percent of the population residing within an hour's distance from the route.

The 121-day relay will begin on March 16 at the J-Village in Fukushima, which is Japanese soccer's national training center and a symbol of resilience during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed almost 16,000 people.

Games organizers have sought to stress the importance of Tokyo 2020 as the 'reconstruction Olympics' and it was evident in the choice of the route, which will pass through Okuma, where part of the Fukushima nuclear complex is located, and past Kumamoto Castle, which suffered heavy earthquake damage in 2016.

"It is not just about places where people can come or around landmarks, but the torch will also visit areas affected by the Great Japan Earthquake and Kumamoto Castle, recovering from the Kumamoto earthquake," said Miho Takeda, a Tokyo 2020 committee member and five-time Olympic medalist in synchronized swimming.

"The relay will go through areas of Japan that are working hard to recover from natural disasters."

The torch will also visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and pass Mount Fuji before arriving at the National Stadium in Tokyo on July 24 during the Olympics opening ceremony.

The runners' uniform, designed by fashion designer Daisuke Obana, was unveiled by multiple Olympic gold medalist judoka Tadahiro Nomura.

The uniforms, which are produced in part from recycled plastic bottles, incorporate a diagonally-draped red sash similar to those used as batons in Ekiden, Japan's famous long distance relay events.

"The torch bearer uniform is eco-friendly. Coca Cola collected plastic bottles in their company and recycled them to use them in the uniform material," Nomura said.

(Reporting by Jack Tarrant; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)