IOC President Thomas Bach Announces Olympic Flame Will Be Lit March 11, 2020

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Photo Courtesy: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

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In an article that appeared online on CTGN it was reported that Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said last Saturday that the Olympic flame lighting ceremony will take place on March 11, 2020.

That date is the ninth anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that greatly affected northeastern Japan. Speaking on the decision to mark the anniversary of the natural disaster, Bach said the ceremony will continue to help bring attention to the rebuilding in the area:

“I think this is a wonderful idea. The IOC has already accepted this idea, because from the very beginning the IOC has made a commitment that wherever possible we want to contribute to the reconstruction of the area.”

While the Olympic flame will first be lit in Greece, it will then travel to Japan and displayed in Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi, three areas that were heavily affected by the 2011 crisis. The relay for the flame will begin on March 26, 2020, traveling through Japan over the course of 121 days.

The IOC president has reportedly also been planning to visit the region in November to show the IOC’s support of the recovery of the region.

You can read the original report from CTGN.com here.

CTGN contributed to this report. 

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