Handover of Olympic flame to Fukushima prefecture

The Olympic flame has been handed to Fukushima prefecture on Wednesday at J-Village National Training Center as a sign of hope as the Olympic 2020 games were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

J-Village was the planned venue for the grand start of the torch relay, but postponement was announced two days before it could begin.

A handover ceremony was held as Yukihiko Nunomura, Tokyo 2020 COO, passed on the lantern carrying the flame to Makoto Noji, Fukushima prefectural official in charge of sports and culture.

During the month of April, the Olympic flame will be displayed in J-Village and will be open to the public.

The new dates for the Olympics have been announced to take place on July 23 to August 8, 2021.

It will still be officially called the 2020 Olympics.

The Olympics were supposed to focus on recovery from the devastating earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors in 2011. But the flame's symbolism next year is likely to shift to recovery from the pandemic.

Noji said "We are convinced that as a light of hope, the torch departing here from J-Village next year will illuminate the path of hope for many with a powerful message that we can overcome any chaos."

The whereabouts of the Olympic flame after April is yet to be confirmed. But Tokyo 2020 organizers says that it's assumed that it will be returned to the host city, Tokyo, at some point.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.