Tokyo 2020 Mascot Selection Commences

　In January a commission met in Tokyo to discuss selecting the mascot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The 2020 Tokyo logo selection process was highly controversial and included accusations of plagiarism and criticism that the selection process was not transparent enough. These controversies led to the abandonment of the first logo and the adoption of a second logo. Cognizant of these concerns, the commission discussed the best application and examination methods in order to make the mascot selection process transparent.

Furthermore, Olympic mascots differ from the Olympic logos because trademark applications for both the name of the mascot as well as for the figure of the mascot need to be filed. Also, these applications must be filed not only in Japan but also in other countries throughout the world.

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympics was hoping to announce the mascot sometime in 2017. However, given the commission’s goals for transparency and the need to file trademark applications, the commission believes that unveiling the mascot this year will be difficult.