1964 Tokyo Olympics Torch Relay When Did The First Woman Carry A Torch

Here are some quick facts, trivia and fun information about the 1964 Tokyo Olympics torch relay which is the first time ever a woman carried the Olympic torch

So let's talk about an aspect of the 2020 Olympic Games that's as thrilling as your last-minute game-winning serve or your "I'm going to fling myself into the stands to get this shank" dig - I'm talking about the 1964 Tokyo Olympics Torch Relay!

Do you know why the '64 Tokyo Olympics were super special?

It's not just because Japan was hosting the Games, but because for the first time in history, a woman got to carry the Olympic flame during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics torch relay.

So, let me serve up (see what I did there?) some cool facts about the 1964 Tokyo Olympics torch relay along with some other hot moments in Olympic torch relay history.

1. Serving It First:

In 1964, Yoshinori Sakai, born on the day Hiroshima was bombed, lit the cauldron.

But a woman, too, was among the torchbearers - an important first!

2. Relay Style:

The '64 torch began its journey in Olympia, Greece before it then traveled through 11 countries including Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, and Pakistan before finally reaching Japan.

3. Epic Journey:

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics torch relay traveled an impressive 20,065km. That's 496.25 volleyball courts lined up end to end!

4. Safety First:

Did you know that the flame was ferried over oceans by plane?

Of course there was a backup plan - a person carried a closed lantern inside the plane to make sure the flame never died out.

The first Olympic Torch Relay occurred in the 1936 Summer Olympics with the first flame lit back then...relayed on foot to Berlin.

For the Winter Games, the first Torch Relay occurred  in Oslo in the 1952 Games that began in Morgedal Valley, Norway.

Now, let's fast-forward, 56 years after the first time a woman carried the torch in the Olympics in 1964 to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 because of COVID-19) to see what's new on the torch front.

The Olympic torch relay was previously scheduled to begin on 12th March, 2020 in Greece and arrive in Japan in July, 2020 but this was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Peep This! 2020 Summer Olympics Torch Relay Map

Simplified map of the 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay route. Notes: the curves do not follow the actual path of the torch and only the location listed below are shown.

1. Naraha
2. Minamisoma
3. Aizuwakamatsu
4. Koriyama
5. Nasukarasuyama
6. Utsunomiya
7. Maebashi
8. Takasaki
9. Nagano
10. Matsumoto
11. Takayama
12. Gifu
13. Nagoya
14. Toyota
15. Ise
16. Kumano
17. Wakayama
18. Hashimoto
19. Kashihara
20. Nara
21. Suita
22. Osaka
23. Naruto
24. Tokushima
25. Kan'onji
26. Takamatsu
27. Sukumo
28. Kōchi
29. Matsuyama
30. Yawatahama
31. Hita
32. Ōita
33. Miyazaki
34. Ebino
35. Kagoshima
36. Ibusuki
37. Nago
38. Itoman
39. Yatsushiro
40. Kumamoto
41. Nagasaki
42. Sasebo
43. Karatsu
44. Saga
45. Fukuoka
46. Kitakyushu
47. Yamaguchi
48. Hagi
49. Ōnan
50. Matsue
51. Hiroshima
52. Fukuyama
53. Okayama
54. Tsuyama
55. Kurayoshi
56. Tottori
57. Himeji
58. Tamba-Sasayama
59. Kameoka
60. Kyoto
61. Ōtsu
62. Nagahama
63. Minamiechizen
64. Fukui
65. Kanazawa
66. Nanao
67. Takaoka
68. Toyama
69. Minamiuonuma
70. Murakami
71. Yamagata
72. Sakata
73. Akita
74. Kazuno
75. Aomori
76. Hachinohe
77. Shiraoi
78. Sapporo
79. Kuji
80. Rikuzentakata
81. Morioka
82. Onagawa
83. Rifu
84. Sendai
85. Shizuoka
86. Numazu
87. Fujinomiya
88. Kōfu
89. Fujiyoshida
90. Fujisawa
91. Sagamihara
92. Yokohama
93. Sanmu
94. Chiba
95. Matsudo
96. Mito
97. Tsukuba
98. Tokorozawa
99. Kumagaya
100. Saitama
101. Tokyo, Tama area
102. Tokyo, Ōshima
103. Tokyo, Ogasawara
104. Tokyo, Special wards and Olympic Stadium

L9A8M, background map by Bourrichon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The theme for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Torch relay across Japan was "Hope Lights Our Way".

This was aimed at sending the message to people around the world about accepting, uniting and encouraging each other.

The Olympic flame, which symbolizes peace and hope, is carried around the host nation and symbolized the joy and passion of the Japanese around the Olympic movement and was one of the most powerful symbols of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The flame was displayed in different locations in the Tohoku region (Japan) to give hope to the areas affected by the tsunami and earthquake of 2011.

Held across all the 47 prefectures of Japan with the journey starting from J-village National Training Center, Fukushima prefecture the Olympic Torch Relay will be taken around Japan for a period of 121 days covering about 98% of the Japanese population.

The torch relay began in Fukushima on March 25, 2021 and ended in Tokyo on July 23, 2021. 

5. Girl Power Again: Volleyball player, Kotoe Inoue, was one of the torchbearers. She's a bronze-medal-winning Olympian.

How cool is that?

6. STEM to the Rescue: The Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay had some serious tech vibes. The torch design was inspired by a cherry blossom (adorable!) and created through the cutting-edge technology of Aluminium Extrusion.

Let's also dig into a few other times women carried the Olympic flame.

7. Going Global: For the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, Alain Mimoun, a male Olympic champion, passed the torch to a female student.

8. Making History: Canada's 1976 Summer Olympics saw two teenager girls lighting the Olympic flame together. A first till then!

9. Save the Best for the Last: The 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics saw swimmer Janet Evans run up a long flight of stairs and hand the Olympic torch to boxing great Muhammad Ali who ignited the Olympic cauldron.

Wow! Best Olympic moment ever!

Our fingers are crossed for more exciting torch moments in Paris 2024.

Maybe we'll see a Volleyball player as the final torchbearer?

Who knows? But for sure, the women who pass on that iconic flame will continue to inspire and light the path to gender equality in sports.

Until then, keep up your passionate game, future torchbearer!

Sources:
Olympics.com
Tokyo2020.org
Olympics.blogs.nytimes.com

Now to our trivia round, 'Spiking Torch Facts: 1964 Tokyo Olympics Relay'.

Q: Why was the torchbearer for the 1964 Games chosen?

A: The torchbearer, Yoshinori Sakai, was born on the day Hiroshima was bombed. His selection symbolized Japan's post-war recovery and peace.

Q: Has the Olympic torch ever gone out during the relay?

A: Interestingly, yes! But there's always a backup flame.

Q: When, where and what is the longest Olympic torch relay in history?

A: Gear up for this - The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics had the longest relay covering a staggering distance of 57,770 km!

Q: Is the Olympic flame always burning?

A: Symbolically, yes. Practically, they keep backups to ensure it 'never' dies out.

Q: Why was the 1964 Tokyo Olympics so important?

A: It was the first time the Olympics were held in Asia and it marked the debut of the very first woman torchbearer.

Q: What does the Olympic torch symbolize?

A: It symbolizes the light of spirit, knowledge, and life.

Sources:
Olympics.com
Tokyo2020.org
Olympics.blogs.nytimes.com

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Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publishes it under the following license:

• CC BY-SA 3.0 dehide terms
• File:Tokyo Aquatics Centre.jpg
• Uploaded: 15 January 2020
• Location: 35° 39′ 5.24″ N, 139° 48′ 54.44″ E

Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com

Aerial view of Tokyo Aquatics Centre

• CC BY-SA 3.0 dehide terms
• File:New national stadium Tokyo 1.jpg
• Uploaded: 15 January 2020

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