1964 Ancient Olympia: the moment the Olympic Torch is lit.
By Philip Barker
The Olympic flame lit in March 2020 is set to resume its journey later this month and new Tokyo 2020 president, Seiko Hashimoto, has insisted: “We have produced guidelines for COVID-19 countermeasures including health monitoring so that we can organise the Olympic Torch Relay in a safe and secure manner.”
The relay,which will carry the flame lit in Ancient Olympia almost a year ago, is likely to be like no other in character. “As a general rule, Torchbearers should wear masks, although they may run unmasked if they maintain a certain distance between each other,” said organisers.
Japan’s women’s football team are scheduled to carry the flame at Fukushima at the Grand Start on March 25th.
That the flame should be carried by women at such a high profile moment will have even greater resonance in the wake of Yoshiro Mori’s resignation as Tokyo 2020 president last month after derogatory comments about women.
When the Olympic flame was first brought to Japan for the 1964 Games, female torchbearers also played a prominent part in carrying the flame to the Olympic city.
An expansive relay had been envisaged when Tokyo was awarded the 1940 Games, but never took place because of war.
When the city was chosen for 1964, choreographer Michio Ito envisaged a relay on the route of the “Silk Road” to commemorate the ancient trade route, but Beijing soon announced they would not permit the flame on Chinese soil.
In The Japan Times, Katsundo Mizuno wrote, “Even with the cooperation of Communist China, the Silk Road route would involve much difficulty in carrying the torch over mountains of over 5000m.”
It was eventually decided that it would be flown from Athens with stopovers in a number of Asian capitals. The North Koreans were furious when Pyongyang was left off the route. They demanded that Tokyo should “rectify such arbitrary wrongful view.”(sic)
Leaving nothing to chance, relay organiser Fumio Takashima set out to inspect the international cities which had been chosen.
Meanwhile organisers announced their ideal profile for the runner to light the final cauldron. “A youngster symbolising the new Japan should be picked. He should be more than 1.70m in height and weigh around 65 kg. The runner should be a youth of good character.”
Yoshinori Sakai, a student in the education department of Waseda University “was found to meet all qualifications.’’ He had been born 55 kilometres north of Hiroshima on 6th August 1945, the very day the atom bomb fell. “Happily I know nothing of war. I have grown up free from care in the atmosphere of freedom in peace loving Japan,” he said.
Mitsuyasu Ochiai, a third year student at Meguro high school was picked as reserve.
On 21st August 1964, High Priestess Aleka Katseli ignited the flame in Ancient Olympia, escorted by 14 priestesses from the Lyceum club of Greece.
For the first time, apparently at the suggestion of International Olympic Academy dean Otto Symiczek, the ceremony was choreographed by Maria Horss, a distinguished theatre performer. She was destined to direct the ceremony for over 40 years.
In another first, leading actor Thanos Kotsopoulos recited “Light of Olympia” by the Greek poet Takis Doxas.
King Constantine, Olympic sailing champion in 1960 and a member of the International Olympic Committee, held the flame before passing it to George Marcellos, later to carry the Greek flag in Tokyo.
Around 400 runners relayed it towards Athens before sprinter Ioannis Komitoudis brought the flame into the Panathinaiko Stadium.
In a tribute to judo, included on the Olympic programme for the first time, the Greek national squad paraded at the handover ceremony.
At the airport, the flame left aboard an aircraft named “Spirit of Tokyo.”
It flew to Istanbul then Beirut, where it was welcomed by a fencing team with foils drawn.
In Tehran, National Olympic Committee President Prince Gholam Reza greeted the party. A celebratory banquet was held by Tehran’s mayor at the time, Dr. Ziaeddin Shademan, who had played basketball for Iran at the 1948 Olympics.
The Olympic flight continued to Pakistan and India, before reaching Rangoon in Burma (Myanmar).
The flame continued to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur before heading for Manila.
En route for Hong Kong, tropical typhoon Ruby caused damage to the official plane. A replacement aircraft also developed technical faults.
In the meantime, the cauldron used in Hong Kong was auctioned to raise funds in support of the typhoon victims.
The flame headed for Taipei and then at last to Okinawa, a territory under United States administration. Technically, the Japanese flag was not permitted without special dispensation. Yet The Japan Times newspaper reported “Tens of thousands of Japanese flags blossomed everywhere and shouts of ‘Banzai’ echoed everywhere as the Olympic flame arrived.”
When it arrived in Kagoshima, 30,000 were waiting to see it. The first runner was 18-year-old local high school student, Miss Ritsuko Takahashi.
The relay took four different routes to allow it to reach every prefecture in the time allowed. It was reunited in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, High priestess Aleka Katseli greeted final torchbearer Sakai at Tokyo’s stadium.
The press noted that “Sakai promised Ms. Katseli to fulfill his duty as the final torch bearer.”
In a widely reported rehearsal, Sakai climbed the steps to the cauldron and ignited the bowl. He had been coached by Teruji Kogake, an Olympic triple jumper from 1956.
“I was filled with the desire to do whatever I could to help him. I advised him how to receive the torch and how to conduct himself,” said Kogake.
Before the ceremony, Sakai ate a dish of Sekihan (festive red rice).
The average age of the runners who brought the flame from the Imperial Palace was only 17.
Sakai was waiting.
“When I entered the stadium carrying the torch, I was under so much stress that I could not even take a look at the spectators in the stadium. When I ran up the stairs and stood on top of it I could relax. I am glad I fulfilled my duties.”
He had dreamed of attending the 2020 Games but passed away in 2014 at the age of 69.
[Click to view a short video of the 1964 Olympics opening ceremony including the lighting of the cauldron.]
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