The 2020 Paralympic Games flame lighting ceremony will take place Friday, August 20th, Tokyo 2020 organizers announced Tuesday. The event will be held at the State Guest House Akasaka Palace in Tokyo.
There have been small flame lighting ceremonies in Japan since August 12. A total of 47 individual flames, one representing each prefecture or district of Japan, will join together to become one united Tokyo 2020 Paralympic flame.
The estimated 40-minute ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 pm local time and will include the playing of the national anthem, lighting ceremony, and speeches from Tokyo 2020 representatives and participants.
The event will be live-streamed here.
The Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay Official Ambassadors are three-time judo Olympic gold medalist Tadahiro Nomura, Aki Taguchi (a three-time Paralympian in shooting), actress Satomi Ishihara, and comedians Mikio Date and Takeshi Tomizawa who perform together under the stage name Sandwich Man.
In-person attendees will have to abide by COVID-19 safety protocols including wearing face masks, not shouting or cheering (replacing those reactions with applause), and undergoing routine temperature checks.