NJPW IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada is set to carry the Olympic flame during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which will be held next Summer.
The 5-time Heavyweight Champion will be one of the representatives holding the world-famous flame in the lead up to the sporting event.
The IWGP Heavyweight Champion is truly the gold standard!
There's no better representative to carry the Olympic flame, which Kazuchika Okada will do in his native Aichi on April 7, as the flame makes its way to #Tokyo2020!#njpw pic.twitter.com/gcfX3aqZcB
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) December 18, 2019
This honor represents all the hard work the Rainmaker has achieved over the last few years. And cements his place as not only one of the most famous wrestlers in Japan but in the world.
Despite a small bump in the road last year, following his defeat to Kenny Omega, Okada’s achievements are endless. This includes winning the title 5 times, 2 times G1 and New Japan Cup winner as well as 4 times Tokyo Sports MVP and Best Bout Award 6 times in a row.
He joins a list of names including the Japanese women’s 2011 World Cup winners, Olympic swimmer and surfer Duke Kahanamoku and actor Kamenashi Kazuya.
「東京2020オリンピック聖火リレー」の愛知県聖火ランナー42名が決定しました。聖火リレーのルート詳細も併せて発表！
詳細はこちら⇒https://t.co/XJ3TLFIt1I #聖火リレー#TorchRelay pic.twitter.com/KRSY4WYwYS— 東京2020オリンピック聖火リレー愛知県実行委員会 (@run_aichi_jp) December 17, 2019
Okada will carry the torch through his native prefecture of Aichi on the 7th April.
The last time the Summer Olympics was held in Japan was in 1964, and the country is full of sports fever. Especially after the success of this year’s Rugby World Cup.
Due to Tokyo hosting the event, the annual New Japan G1 has been moved to the Autumn as the larger venues will be used for the different sports.
However, it’s set to be a very exciting time for Tokyo and will attract a lot of visitors and eyes onto not only the city but the entire country.
Kazuchika Okada is one of the best people to represent the country, and this is a great way to start to biggest sporting event in the world.
