Hostname: page-component-669899f699-cf6xr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-24T16:15:42.899Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Small Olympics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Ian Lynam
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Japan has a pervasive and problematic history based on design by consensus and speculative labor for the design of past Olympic Games as much as for the upcoming Games. The 2020 Games have been defined by design competitions, events where individuals volunteer to create visual graphic works without financial reward for the time and labor spent. This devaluation of creative work helps explain why Tokyo is swathed in mediocre Games-related visuals.

Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , February 2020 , e8
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2020

References

References:

Collins, Gail, 2007. “‘Samurai’ politics: Japanese cultural identity in global sport – The Olympic Games as a representational strategy”, The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 24, Issue 3. Page 364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collins, Sandra. 2007. The 1940 Tokyo Games: The Missing Olympics: Japan, the Asian Olympics and the Olympic Movement. London, Routledge, 2007. Pages 956–964.Google Scholar
Etchells, Daniel. “Tokyo 2020 launches Olympic and Paralympic medal design competition”, Inside the Games, London: Dunsar Media Company Ltd. December 22, 2017. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Ginza Graphic Gallery, 2013. “Ginza Graphic Gallery website 2013 event schedule”. Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo: Dainippon Printing. Accessed January 21, 2020.Google Scholar
Grefe, Richard. “Against Crowdsourcing Logo Design: an Open Letter From AIGA to the Tokyo Olympic Committee”, AIGA Eye on Design, New York: AIGA, December 8, 2015. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Hara, Kenya, 2020. “My first design proposal for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games”. Tokyo: Nippon Design Center. Accessed January 21, 2020.Google Scholar
Japan Graphic Design Association, 2020. “The 17th Yusaku Kamekua Design Award”. Japan Graphic Design Association. Accessed January 21, 2020.Google Scholar
Kamekura, Yūsaku, 1971. Yūsaku Kamekura: His Works. Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, Tokyo, 1971. Pages 44–87.Google Scholar
Kyodo News Service, 2016. “Belgian designer drops suit over Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo, cites legal costs”, The Japan Times, January 27. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Landor Associates, Inc.. “Landor at the Olympics”. Landor.com. Tokyo: Landor. Accessed January 21, 2020.Google Scholar
Lynam, Ian, 2015. “Why We Should Really Be Concerned About the Visual Identity for the Tokyo Olympics”, Medium.com, November 26. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
McCurry, Justin, 2015. “Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo scrapped after allegations of plagiarism”, The Guardian, September 1. Accessed January 21, 2020.Google Scholar
Montgomery, Angus, 2015. “Plagiarist or not, Tokyo 2020 designer Kenjiro Sano doesn't deserve this treatment”, London: Design Week, September 2. Accessed January 21, 2020.Google Scholar
Murai, Shusuke, 2015. “Design by architect Kengo Kuma picked for Tokyo's new Olympic stadium”, Japan Times, Dec. 22.Google Scholar
Netama, . “もう東京オリンピックのデザインはこれでいいんじゃないかな”, Netama, August 21, 2018. Accesses January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Verlag, Niggli. “Sapporo 1972 - Emblem”. The Olympic Design.com. Switzerland: Niggli Verlag. Accessed January 31, 2020.Google Scholar
The Organizing Committee of the XIIth Olympiad. Report of the Organizing Committee on its work for the XIIth Olympic Games of 1940 in Tokyo until the relinquishment, Tokyo: International Olympic Committee, 1940. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Thornton, Richard, 1991. The Graphic Spirit of Japan. New York, Van Nostrand. Pages 98–112.Google Scholar
Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “The mascots were chosen by the elementary school children's voting.” Tokyo 2020. Tokyo: Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Tokyo 2020 emblems -selection process”. Tokyo 2020. Tokyo: Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Mascot Design Competition Now Open to Public!” August 1, 2017. Tokyo 2020. Tokyo: Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Accessed January 20, 2020.Google Scholar
Traganou, Jilly, 2011.”Tokyo's 1964 Olympic design as a ‘realm of [design] memory‘”, Sport in Society, Volume 14, Issue 4: Remembering the glory days of the nation: sport as lieu de mémoire in Japan, pages 475–478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar