Olympic flame out on display in Japan Olympic Museum

TOKYO (AP) — The Olympic flame is going on display in Tokyo, just a short walk from the new National Stadium where it was supposed to be burning a month ago.

The flame arrived in Japan from Greece in March and has been largely hidden away in Tokyo since the Olympics were postponed until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flame was unveiled on Monday at a small ceremony with Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, and Yasuhiro Yamashita, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

“In this situation during COVID-19, I think athletes aiming for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are training hard each day — with great anxiety,” said Yamashita, a former Olympic judo gold medalist, speaking in Japanese. “I am convinced that the torch displayed today will support the hearts of those athletes.”

Mori added: “I hope this flame will be passed on by about 10,000 torchbearers next year, and the cauldron will be lit to make the event a great success.”

The flame will be on display beginning Tuesday at the new Japan Olympic Museum for at least the next two months. Visitors can only enter the museum, which is located across the street from the new stadium, with a reservation.

The flame's unveiling comes just days after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his plans to resign.

Abe was on hand in 2013 in Buenos Aires when the IOC picked Tokyo, and he was the highlight of the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when he appeared as Nintendo game character Super Mario.

The fate of the Tokyo Olympics remains uncertain. Organizers and the International Olympic Committee say it will open on July 23, 2021. But they have not revealed any details about how 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be...