2 Years To Go – Tokyo 2020

The countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games today hit the half way point, with two years to go until the opening ceremony of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo City.

While the Australian Men’s and Women’s water polo teams continue preparations, with the next milestone on the trek to Tokyo the FINA World Cups, WPA takes a look at what lays in store for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Fast Facts – Tokyo 2020 & Australian Olympic Team

• The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will feature a record 33 sports and 339 events across 42 venues.
• The Australian Team will be the second largest ever - the biggest since Sydney 2000.
• Tokyo 2020 will be the most gender-balanced Games in Olympic history, with women making up almost 49% of total athletes. Mixed gender events will take place in: archery, athletics, badminton, equestrian, judo, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis and triathlon.
• Tokyo 2020 will feel like a home Games for Australian viewers, with time zones only differing by one hour. No lost sleep to support the Aussies abroad!
• In a win for the environment, Olympic medals will be made from recycled phone and computer parts.
• Tokyo last hosted the Olympic Games in 1964. They are only the fifth city to host an Olympic Games more than once and the only Asian city to do so.
• Organisers will showcase Japan’s resilience and recovery from the devastating Fukushima earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster by starting the 2020 Olympic Torch relay in the historical town.
• At Tokyo 2020 you can expect to see some cutting-edge technology with robots, instant language translation and self-driving vehicles on show. Tokyo pitched a Super Hi-Vision broadcast known as 8K Ultra HD so those
• watching at home can expect to feel like they are live at the Olympic Games.

Competition schedule

Tokyo 2020 last week unveiled the full competition schedule with dates and session times for all sports.

Day 8 of competition, dubbed ‘Super Saturday’, will feature 23 sports, including men's water polo qualification matches.  Once again the water polo medal matches will be held on the final two days of competition.

The full schedule can be found here.

Ticket Offer

Fans who want to get in early to secure tickets for their favourite sports and sessions in Tokyo can beat the rush through a special offer launched today by CoSport, the Australian Olympic Committee’s Official Ticket and Hospitality Provider.

To celebrate two years to go, the Priority Access Package sale announced by CoSport also includes a five percent (5%) discount on the packages which are available from today at www.cosport.com.

The packages will secure buyers both tickets and hotel accommodation.  The discount and priority access to tickets is being offered to members of the public who commit to purchasing the packages before September 30th, 2018.

For more details on ticketing pricing and other official information - click here. 

Venue

The Venue Plan for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games consists predominantly of two thematic and operational zones: the "Heritage Zone" which houses several iconic venues used at the Tokyo 1964 Games and the "Tokyo Bay Zone" which serves as a model for innovative urban development and symbolises the exciting future of the city. Click here to learn more.

These two zones expand across the city to form an ‘infinity’ symbol with the Athletes' Village positioned at the point where the two zones intersect – at the physical and spiritual heart of the Games.

Water Polo competition will be held at Tatsumi International Swimming Centre and will put it in close proximity to the other aquatics disciplines. The existing venue was built in the early 1990s and has capacity for more than 3500 people.

For full list of venues and more details: click here.
 
Keep up-to-date with the Aussie Sharks and Aussie Stingers trek to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by getting social!