Olympic rings in Tokyo removed for safety checks

NHK -- Aug 07

A huge Olympic rings monument in Tokyo Bay has been temporarily removed for safety checks.

The floating monument is 33 meters wide and 15 meters high. It was installed in January on the water in Odaiba Marine Park, one of Tokyo's Olympic venues.

But safety checks have become necessary as the Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed for a year.

Divers went into the sea on Thursday morning to remove the anchoring wires connecting the monument on a barge to blocks of concrete on the seabed.

The barge was then towed to a shipyard in Yokohama, a port city near Tokyo.

Tokyo officials say they will spend about four months on inspections and maintenance. They aim to bring the rings back to the location this year.

A Tokyo official in charge of preparations for the games said he hopes many people come to see the Olympic symbol once it's back on the capital's waterfront.

Aug 07 (ANNnewsCH) - 東京都のお台場海浜公園近くの海上に設置されていた巨大なオリンピックシンボルがメンテナンスのため一時撤去されました。  今年1月に設置されたオリンピックシンボルは当初、閉会式まで展示される予定でした。3月に大会は延期となりましたが、シンボルは来年も設置されることになり、安全性の確認などメンテナンスが必要になっていました。都の担当者によりますと、シンボルは12月ごろには同じ場所に戻ってくる予定です。