TOKYO: Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Wednesday unveiled a cherry-blossom shaped torch for the Games as the city prepares for the famed flower season to begin in coming days.

The top part of the torch is shaped in the traditional emblem of the sakura, or cherry blossom using the same cutting-edge technology as in production of Japan’s bullet trains, the organisers said.

The shiny rose-gold torch, which is 71 centimetres (28 inches) long and weighs 1.2 kilograms (2 pounds 10 ounces), uses aluminium construction waste from temporary housing built for victims of the 2011 quake and tsunami.

Designer Tokujin Yoshioka said he was inspired to create the torch, which features five sakura petals cut into its head to mirror the five Olympic rings, following a visit to an elementary school in Fukushima.

“I was very impressed with the powerful expression in the cherry blossoms drawn by kids in this area,” Yoshioka said at the unveiling ceremony in Tokyo. “They are trying to overcome challenges and trying to move forward. I wanted to share that with the world.”

Fukushima was chosen as the starting point for the Olympic torch relay.

The passing of the flame is scheduled to start on March 26, 2020, and the torch will head south to the sub-tropical island of Okinawa before returning north and arriving in the Japanese capital on July 10. The full route is yet to be disclosed.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2019