Final logo revealed for Tokyo 2020 Olympic games

The new logo for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games has been chosen after a public competition saw four finalists shortlisted.

The winning entry is a circle composed of chequerboard patterns, and named the “harmonised chequered emblem”.

Designed by Asao Tokolo, it has been selected by the Tokyo 2020 Emblems Selection Committee, which says it also used input from the public as a “valuable frame of reference” when deciding on a winner.

The symbol uses a chequered design in a “traditional” Japanese colour of indigo blue, says the committee, with the aim of expressing “elegance and sophistication”. It has three different sized rectangular shapes, which aim to symbolise “unity in diversity” of the Olympic and Paralympic games.

Tokolo is an artist who studied architecture at Tokyo Zokei university, and has previously created patterns for building façades and consumer products such as bags.

The chequerboard logo was up against three other finalists, which respectively aimed to embody “movement”, symbolised the Wind and Thunder Gods, and represented a Japanese flower.

The three runners-ups, Kosue Kuno, Takaaki Goto and Chie Fujii, all state their occupation as designers.

The runner-up logos

The four finalists were whittled down from 14,599 applications following a public competition, which could see anyone enter from all around the world.

The competition came about after the original logo, designed by Kenjiro Sano, was scrapped following a plagiarism row with Belgian designer Olivier Debie, who claimed it resembled an identity he had created for a theatre in Liège.

Winning designer Tokolo will receive a cash prize of JPY 1,000,000 (£5,500) and tickets to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Discover more

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• Tokyo 2020 launches public competition for Olympic identity – anyone can enter…
• Tokyo Olympics scraps logo in plagiarism row