TOKYO, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo began its one year countdown Wednesday until the 2020 Olympic Games will be held in the capital, with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach saying that the eyes of the world would be trained on Tokyo.
"One year from now Japan will make history. When the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 get under way, the eyes of the world will be on Japan," Bach said at a countdown event in Tokyo.
Bach said that Japan's capital city has made great progress ahead of hosting the Games.
"The preparations are making excellent progress. I can truly say I have never seen an Olympic city as prepared as Tokyo with one year to go before the Olympic Games," the IOC chief said as the city gears up to host around 10,000 athletes from around the globe.
Bach attended the countdown event in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.
The event comprised live musical performances, and the design of the Olympic medals was unveiled for the first time.
Abe, for his part, reflecting on Tokyo playing host to the Games for the first time in 1964, said that the world can be connected through sports and provide equal opportunities to all.
"Sports have the power to connect the world and give everybody equal opportunities. This is what we learned from the Games 55 years ago," Abe said.
"With the Games approaching, I am looking forward to seeing athletes gunning to overcome their limits," said the Japanese leader.
"I vowed to do our absolute best toward the success of the 2020 Games when we won the bid to host the Games six years ago in Buenos Aires," Abe added at the countdown event.
