Thank you, Tokyo 2020.

 ■Thank you, Tokyo 2020.

After 57 years. It has been 8 years since the bid. The long-awaited Olympics.

Success amidst the whirlwind of controversy over COVID-19.

I shudder to think that the Olympics may not have been held without spectators or whatever.

Athletes and sports are precious.

I respect the young and vibrant men and women who fight beautifully against the negative reactions they receive.

Thank you.

I was in front of the display the whole time.

One TV, three PCs, two tablets, and a smartphone.

I also had another smartphone for taking pictures.

I'm following the Olympics on 8 digital devices at home.

The Olympics is a period of training to improve multiple skills.

According to Yoshimoto Osaki, Chairman of the Board of Directors

"A proper sushi restaurant serves eight people at the same time. The counter is for eight people."

I see. Had I been training in making nigiri sushi at the Olympics?

As It's the Edo Olympics!

There were many amazing achievements from Japan's perspective.

Yui Ohashi was the champion in two swimming events.

Daiki Hashimoto, the flower of gymnastics, was the individual all-around champion and the horizontal bar champion.

Europe's secret techniques, the men's epee team in fencing.

Consecutive judo championships for Shohei Ohno and Risako Kawai.

Sena Irie won the women's boxing championship for the first time.

The dramatic turnabout with the "Gon Zeme" (full on aggressive attack) also energized me.

The table tennis team of Mizutani and Ito, and skateboarders Yuto Horigome and Momiji Nishiya.

There were also siblings who got gold medals. 

The Abe siblings in judo, and the Kawai sisters.

Getting the silver medal in women's basketball, Inami getting the silver medal in women's golf, and Kajihara getting the silver medal in the women's omnium are also great achievements.

Japanese women are amazing!

I counted the medals.

Gold 27: women-14, men-12, mixed-1.

Silver 14: women-8, men-5, mixed-1.

Bronze 17: women-8, men-8, mixed-1.

Total 58: women-30, men-25, mixed-3.

The red team won overwhelmingly.

Naomi Osaka, Kento Momota, Daiya Seto, men's 400m relay, and men's soccer.

Some of the athletes were expected to get gold medals, but were unable meet those expectations because of local pressure or something.

However, the gold rush in other events is dazzling, and I feel positive.

I also learned how unreliable the media's pre-event reviews can be.

Before being held, the legacy of the Olympics was as follows:

1. To return the Olympics to being the Olympics.

2. To show the recovery from COVID-19

3. Preserving data for the future

These are the 3 points I considered.

1. Return to a tournament which is athlete-centered, and focused on sports. 

This was a success. 

I was opposed to there being no spectators, nevertheless, watching baseball on the Internet with only the sounds of catching, the crack of the bats, and players' voices, and no play-by-play broadcasting or commentary, gave me a new fascination.

I also felt that it could be done in a devolved way, in local cities, rather than big cities. 

2. Showing the recovery from COVID-19.

This was shown. 

In particular, I think it brought light to the world given the fact that the event was held without any serious problems in Japan, where life without masks has not returned as it has in Europe and the United States, and where the infection situation is getting worse.

3. We still don't know about data. How much of it will become available in the future.

But we have AI/IoT, 4K8K5G, robots/drones.

We were able to display a comprehensive showcase of technology.

Robots working on the track, live coverage through AI, displaying the per-second swimming speed.

IoT cameras were a big success on the bike track.

I want to use all the data left behind by these devices.

e-Sports also left its mark.

The IOC-sponsored "Olympic Virtual Series" held five events before the Olympics, including baseball, cycling, and rowing.

I very much hope that it will be connected with the Paris and Los Angeles games.

To bring it back to Japan once again, we came third in gold following the United States and China. Overall, Japan ranked 5th behind the United States, China, Russia, and Great Britain. 

Never in the future will Japan rank so highly with the great powers of the world. 

The number of medals won at the Olympics reflects the power of a nation. It is a clear indication of the overall economic, cultural, and political power. Nothing surpasses this event in the battle over national flags and anthems. It is a symbol of modern national sovereignty.

That is how I have thought. 

That Showa-era thinking has been clearly overturned.

New city-based competitions such as skateboarding and climbing were cooler, showing smiles rather than a hungry spirit, and what they shouldered was not the nation, but love and friendship.

The sight of rivals carrying Misugu Okamoto, who placed 4th with her full on aggressive attack in the skateboarding women's park event, is a historical scene that shows the change of the times.

Skateboarding has street and park events, and Japan got three golds out of four from Horigome, Nishiya, and Yosozumi in the men's and women's events combined. It is our forte.

Moreover, the four female medalists are aged 19, 16, 13, and 12!

They had fun, laughed, and put the country second.

The fact that the teens presented such an image (sorry to go back to the country again) made me think that Japan has a future.

Japan's specialities of baseball, softball, and karate won't be held in Paris.

It was a treat for Tokyo to host the event.

That's enough of medals and nations right.

That's what I feel like I am being told by girls who could be grandchildren.

The modern, nationalistic Olympics, in which we compete for medals in desperation, will be overturned, and it will become a super-modern, leisurely, fun festival.

I think this is the greatest legacy.

I would like to thank the participants and all those involved who overcame opposition, criticism, and disorder to hold the Olympics.

Thank you so much.

Until Paris in three years, I will be drinking in the lingering excitement of these games.