No.116 Olympic cycling road race and community live site in Inagi

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games had a stormy start with a variety of opinions swirling around, including those who were absolutely against it, those who were against it if possible, those who didn't really want it to happen but if it was to be held without spectators, those who were in favor of it, and those who were in favor of it. The opening ceremony was held on July 23, 2017, and the competition began.

It was decided that the Olympic and Paralympic Games would be held in Tokyo in 2013, and the venues for each event have been confirmed one by one, but the course for the cycling road race has not yet been finalized.
In the original bid file, the course was to start and end at the Imperial Palace Gardens and loop around Inagi and Tama cities. However, there was no progress after that, and there were rumors that the course would be changed, so in May 2016 I submitted a written request to then-Governor Yoichi Masuzoe and Chairman of the Organizing Committee Yoshiro Mori, and in June of the same year. We received a similar written opinion from the Inagi City Council and began activities to attract courses. In June 2017, the goal was suddenly changed to Fuji Speedway, and at one point it looked like Inagi City would be removed, but efforts to attract and request the race in collaboration with the Tama Mayor and Tama City Council were successful. The decision was made in August 2018, and a course that passes through both cities has been realized.

Now that the road race course has been officially decided, the city has decided to promote a variety of cycling measures, promoting itself as ``Bicycle Town Inagi.''
In September 2018, we introduced shared bicycles, attracted a bicycle race called cyclocross to the Tama River riverbed, and were able to turn it into a tourist attraction by naming it ``Inagi Cross.'' In November, we participated in the launch of the ``National Association of Municipal Mayors Promoting Urban Development that Utilizes Bicycles,'' and we have also petitioned for the construction of bicycle lanes on the Main Road One Highway. Furthermore, in June of this year, we opened a cycle cafe that symbolizes the legacy of Olympic cycling.

Each Olympic sport began after extensive preparations and related project planning by everyone involved, but it was unfortunate that many competition venues were closed to spectators. Additionally, all live sites set up by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have been cancelled.
The torch relay on public roads in Tokyo was also canceled, but the "Community Live Site in Inagi", an event to watch and support the cycling road race, the only Olympic sport held in the city, was still held. We discussed it with the people involved until the last minute to see if it was possible.
The Tokyo metropolitan government has set up live sites in places where many people come and go, such as around terminal stations, and the purpose is to provide public viewing so that an unspecified number of people can enjoy the Olympics, and they will be canceled during the state of emergency declaration. I think we have no choice but to do so.

On the other hand, community live sites are relatively small-scale sites set up by each municipality with funding from the Tokyo metropolitan government for the purpose of being enjoyed by local people. The city decided to hold the event after determining that safety could be ensured by taking thorough measures to prevent infection.
Initially, we planned for 2,000 people a day to hold various events inside and outside the general gymnasium, but we reduced the capacity to 800, required advance registration, thorough temperature checks and hand disinfection, and a kitchen car. We have reduced the number of tables, imposed a capacity limit on food and beverage spaces, ensure thorough disinfection, and reduced the number of experiential events.
In this way, the men's road race was held on the 24th, and the women's road race was held on the 25th, and on the community live site, large monitors were set up outdoors on both days, and viewers could enjoy watching the races with commentary from former competitive cyclists and celebrities with cycling experience. I received it at
We also introduced the URL of the live broadcast from the city's email distribution service so that you can watch the game from your home, so we believe that many people watched it via the online broadcast.
For many people, the sight of the world's most successful cyclists galloping through an extraordinary event called the Olympic Games was held in the midst of the familiar scenery of daily life roads, and this must have been an unforgettable memory for many people. ?

We would like to thank everyone who worked hard to hold the road race and community live site, as well as the Self-Defense Forces, police, volunteers, and fire departments who provided roadside security.