Logo edit
The initial design for the official emblems of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were unveiled on 24 July 2015. The logo resembled a stylized "T"; a red circle in the top-right corner represented a beating heart, the flag of Japan, and an "inclusive world in which everyone accepts each other", and a black column in the centre represented diversity.[1]
Shortly after the unveiling, Belgian graphics designer Olivier Debie accused the organizing committee of plagiarizing a logo he had designed for the Théâtre de Liège, which aside from the circle, consisted of nearly identical shapes. Tokyo's organizing committee denied that the emblem design was plagiarized, arguing that the design had gone through "long, extensive and international" intellectual property examinations before it was cleared for use.[2][3] Debie filed a lawsuit against the IOC to prevent use of the infringing logo.[4]
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Rejected official logo of the 2020 Summer Olympics -
Rejected official logo of the 2020 Summer Paralympics. -
Logo of the Théâtre de Liège
The emblem's designer, Kenjiro Sano, defended the design, stating that he had never seen the Liège logo, while TOCOG released an early sketch of the design that emphasized a stylized "T" and did not resemble the Liège logo.[4] However, Sano was found to have had a history of plagiarism, with others alleging his early design plagiarized work of Jan Tschichold, that he used a photo without permission in promotional materials for the emblem, along with other past cases. On 1 September 2015, following an emergency meeting of TOCOG, Governor of Tokyo Yoichi Masuzoe announced that they had decided to scrap Sano's two logos. The committee met on 2 September 2015 to decide how to approach another new logo design.[4]
On 24 November 2015, an Emblems Selection Committee was established to organize an open call for design proposals, open to Japanese residents over the age of 18, with a deadline set for 7 December 2015. The winner would receive ¥1 million and tickets to the opening ceremonies of both the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.[5][6][7] On 8 April 2016, a new shortlist of four pairs of designs for the Olympics and Paralympics were unveiled by the Emblems Selection Committee; the Committee's selection—with influence from a public poll, was presented to TOCOG on 25 April 2016 for final approval.[6]
- ^ "Tokyo 2020 unveils official emblem with five years to go". Olympic.org. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympic Games logo embroiled in plagiarism row". The Guardian. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics emblem said to look similar to Belgian theater logo". The Japan Times. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ a b c "Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo scrapped after allegations of plagiarism". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ "Tokyo 2020 Emblems Committee relax competition rules ahead of search for new logo". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Japan unveils final four candidates for Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo". Japan Times. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ "Tokyo Games organizers decide to scrap Sano emblem". NHK World. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.