The Board of officials in Tokyo for the International Olympic Games 2020 are upset since they have found out that the Olympic logo has been used on the cover page of some local magazine. It is, of course, the distorted version of the original Olympics logo. However, it is hard to accept that a prestigious logo is being used in a negative manner.
According to Masa Takaya, the spokesperson of Tokyo, they have already requested to take down the distorted image. What is more, is that they have had a thorough discussion with Tokyo’s Foreign department on this very matter. They have also decided to take further steps if the picture remains on the magazine cover for a longer time.
In a press conference with Masa Takaya, reports asked him whether the Tokyo officials are going to take legal action. To this, the spokesperson answered very diplomatically. He diverged from the main question and stressed on the fact that they were privately discussing and negotiating the matter. He stated that the board had all the necessary discussions with Tokyo’s Foreign Correspondent Club on what to do. On the other hand, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper of Japan is also facing several interviews due to the backlash.
What does Tokyo have to say?
In an interview, Masa Takaya and his team took the lead in expressing their views about the new Olympics logo. They added that it is highly disappointing for them to see that the emblem of the game is facing such distortion. It is said that the positive vibe of the International Olympic Games is now associated with the novel coronavirus. They highly protest the association of a positive cause with something that has brought so much pain and loss to the world as a whole.
Takaya said that the sport’s emblem for the novel coronavirus can in no way be associated with something that is killing people and causing so much harm to the economy. In this context, it is important to know that the economy of Japan has recently entered a state of recession. Besides they feel that it is a total infringement of their rights on the emblem of the 2020 International Olympics that were to be held in Tokyo. However, the organizing committee has not yet received any kind of formal reply from the club.
The distorted emblem features on the cover page of the local magazine’s copy for April. While on the one hand, FCCJ is yet to release an official statement, the name of the artist has already been revealed. Andrew Pothicary, a British-origin artist who stays in Japan has been accused of the new logo design. He is also the Art Director of the sports magazine under questioning now. According to him, the new emblem is just a simple parody of the real one. Other artists of the forum are not supporting Pothicary’s views on this.