The Olympic flame is one of the most powerful symbols of the games, representing the Olympic spirit and values of competition, respect, and perseverance. The Olympic torch carries the flame around the world in the months leading up to the games to symbolize the camaraderie of humankind.

The torch design must represent the values of the host city and country, showcase the manufacturing capabilities of the designer, and smoothly integrate the many technical elements needed for the proper function of the flame.

To represent Tokyo 2020 and Japan as a whole, I engraved the event logo on the three scooped details of the torch, applied a traditional Japanese Asanoha pattern all around the torch, and engraved the three components of the Olympic game vision on each side of the triangular top: “Achieving Personal Best”, “Unity in Diversity”, and “Connecting to Tomorrow”.

Within the torch, I have integrated three cameras from which to provide a live stream 360° footage of the torch relay for viewers around the world. These cameras would allow people to follow the torch during its entire journey, and they would also expose the world to the ultra-connective features of the 2020 Olympic Games by providing an extremely immersive experience.

On the technical side: three ultra-wide cameras to create the 360° videos, a GPS to locate the flame in real-time, a microphone, a battery, and an IMU sensor. Users could connect to the server using a website or VR app in order to receive the live feed of the event or using the events timeline, users would also be able to replay the most important moments of the torch’s journey.

The goal of this Olympic torch model is to represent the unprecedented amount of unity achieved by sharing the Olympic torch relay - that is, the inception of the 2020 Games - with the world. The future of the Olympic Games is and will always be driven by innovation.