TOKYO: Japan began its three-year countdown to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Monday with concerts, races and other events meant to drum up public enthusiasm for the Games — even as organisers struggle to contain soaring costs and restore credibility.

The 2020 Games will be Japan’s first summer Olympics since the 1964 edition in Tokyo. After a rocky start, organisers are gearing up to get the public more involved.

Japanese celebrities and athletes dressed in bright kimonos gathered for the launch of a remake of a popular 1964 Tokyo Olympics song, as organisers promised to turn the 2020 Games into the biggest “natsu matsuri” (summer festival) ever.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, clad in a white traditional Japanese “happi” coat, attended a flag ceremony at city hall.

“We have only three years left,” Koike said at the evening event at which cutting-edge projection mapping illustrating Tokyo was shown. “I hope to lead the Olympics to success with all of you,” she told the audience.

The International Olympic Committee, fearful that ballooning budgets could see future Olympic bids dry up, last month praised local organisers for slashing costs.

Koike last year ordered a review of the budget which recommended revised plans to reduce costs projected to rise to more than $25 billion — four times the initial estimates when Tokyo won the 2020 hosting rights.

Tokyo organisers have since slashed costs to around $13 billion but have otherwise largely failed to inspire confidence since the city beat Madrid and Istanbul in its bid to host the Games for a second time.

Progress on the financial front comes after a rocky start when the initial rollout of the centrepiece Olympic stadium was bungled, forcing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015 to tear up the blueprints amid public anger over its price tag. A new and cheaper plan was unveiled later that year.

More embarrassment followed when the original Games logo was scrapped following allegations of plagiarism.

In April, a 23-year-old employee of one of the Olympic contractors committed suicide in a case believed to be related to overwork.

Asked about the young man’s death after having clocked more than 200 hours of overtime the month before, Hikariko Ono, spokesperson for Tokyo 2020, it was “very unfortunate”. “We extend our condolences to the man who passed away and his family,” Ono said.

The Tokyo Olympics organising committee is asking the Japan Sports Council to provide details of the case.

“We would like to remind all the parties to be mindful so that similar cases will not be repeated,” she said.

But the focus on Monday was on building up enthusiasm for Tokyo’s hosting of the Games.

A 15-day, 1,000-kilometre (about 620 mile) citizens relay began Monday in northeastern Japan’s Aomori prefecture. Runners and cyclists will travel through areas ravaged by the 2011 tsunami, reaching the capital on August 7.

Other events included group calisthenics, traditional dancing and surfing at the Olympics surfing venue. In Tokyo, a concert and other festivities were planned after dark.

The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are due to be held July 24-Sept. 6, 2020.

Since public transport is crowded even without Olympics-related visitors, the government launched an annual “telework” day on Monday to encourage more people to do their jobs remotely, especially during the 2020 Games. Dozens of companies have pledged to participate.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2017