National Olympic committees have been "impressed by their first organized visit to Tokyo," saying on Monday that the city "is on course to stage a successful Olympic Games in 2020," according to KYODO. Thirteen NOCs -- including Australia, Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands -- "are in town for a three-day tour that started Sunday." By the end of the tour, the traveling party "will have seen 26 venues that will be used for the next Summer Games." Four more similar tours will be held by '20. Brazil Olympic Committee Games & Int'l Relations GM Gustavo Harada said that Tokyo "appears to be in a good position regarding its level of preparation." He said, "Each Games are unique. The Japanese have their plans set now after the decisions of the final locations of the venues and we're confident the plan is going really well." Tokyo "certainly has had its hiccups in the buildup so far." But Harada, who "knows a thing or two about dealing with" pre-Games "issues," said that he has "no doubt organizers will find a way through the forest." Harada: "These are probably the largest projects in the world and this is part of the process" (KYODO, 2/6).
2020 MASCOTS: In a separate piece, KYODO reported Tokyo organizers announced that "applications for designing the official mascots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be open to the public, including children." Organizers said, "We will assess them on the basis of designs, not on the fame or past achievements of the applicants." Organizers Panel Vice-Chair Yoshiko Ikoma said, "This is an acquisitive plan as we hope to get both talented professionals and independently minded children on board" (KYODO, 2/6).
