172 - Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games - Official Used Olympic Torch with Torchbearer Uniform and Photographic Documentation

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games - Official Used Olympic Torch with Torchbearer Uniform and Photographic Documentation Official Olympic Torch of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, designed by renowned Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, accompanied by the torchbearer clothing and photographic documentation showing the torch lit and carried during the Olympic Torch Relay. Inspired by the cherry blossom (sakura), one of Japan’s most recognisable cultural symbols, the torch was conceived as a contemporary expression of renewal, hope and unity. Its elegant aluminium body is finished in the distinctive sakura rose-gold colour and rises into five petal-shaped sections at the crown, forming the silhouette of a cherry blossom when viewed from above. The body bears the official Tokyo 2020 emblem and Olympic rings. Measuring approximately 71 cm (28 in.) in length, the torch is an important example of contemporary Olympic design and an evocative artefact from one of the most extraordinary Games in modern Olympic history. Unlike unused presentation examples, the present torch was actually ignited and used during the Olympic Torch Relay. It is accompanied by the torchbearer clothing visible in the accompanying photograph, together with a photograph documenting the torch while lit, which will be supplied to the successful bidder. These elements provide valuable context to the object and preserve its direct connection with the relay in which it participated. The Olympic flame for Tokyo 2020 was lit at Ancient Olympia on 12 March 2020. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greek leg of the relay was suspended, and the flame was formally handed over to the Tokyo organisers at the Panathenaic Stadium on 19 March 2020. After the postponement of the Games, the flame remained in Japan until the domestic relay commenced in March 2021, culminating in the Opening Ceremony in Tokyo on 23 July 2021. The unprecedented circumstances surrounding Tokyo 2020 gave the Olympic flame particular symbolic significance, associated with the Games’ themes of recovery, resilience and hope. Condition: Used and lit during the Olympic Torch Relay. The torch retains evidence consistent with its ceremonial use. Overall very good condition. Provenance / Accompanied by: Tokyo 2020 Olympic torchbearer clothing; photographic documentation depicting the torch during the relay, including an image showing it lit and being carried; torch case. A particularly evocative piece of modern Olympic memorabilia, combining the celebrated design of the Tokyo 2020 torch with documented use in the Olympic Torch Relay and associated torchbearer material.