TOKYO (AP) — The Olympic rings have been removed from Tokyo Bay, reportedly temporarily. The gigantic rings were floated there this year on a barge to greet visitors, standing about 50 feet tall and 100 feet long.
Organizers and the city of Tokyo say the Olympic symbol is being removed for maintenance and will return.
The Tokyo Olympics were postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled to open on July 23, 2021. The Paralympics follow in August.
“It’s not a permanent removal,” Masa Takaya, a spokesman for the Tokyo organizers, said this week. “It’s a temporary removal just for maintenance.”
Atsushi Yanashimizu, who works on the project for the city government, said the rings will “be reinstalled after four months of maintenance work with the hopes of bringing excitement to the games, and to convey the appeal of the city of Tokyo and the games through this symbol.”
Organizers have given no specifics about health protocols for competitors and spectators in a pandemic.
