Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism HWANG Hee will attend an event at the invitation of Japan’s Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister HAGIUDA Koichi as well as the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics on July 23.

Besides Minister Hwang and Minister Hagiuda, sports ministers from other countries will attend the event at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo. They will discuss ways to make the Olympics a success and share their country’s sports‐related policies and directions.

After first expressing his wish for a safe and successful hosting of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Minister Hwang will actively promote the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics to the attending sports ministers. Now just three years away, the Youth Olympics will be held in Gangwon‐do, the same province that hosted Korea’s PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Meanwhile, the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics – to be held under the slogan “United by Emotion” – will take place with a minimum number of participants in consideration of the COVID‐19 situation.

Before attending the opening ceremony, Minister Hwang said, “I hope that our athletes can demonstrate their abilities to the fullest at the Olympics, the world’s largest sports festival, so all of their sweat will bear substantial fruit. We will do everything possible together with the relevant organizations for their safety, which is what matters the most.”

Following the opening ceremony on July 23, Minister Hwang will return to Korea the next day after completing his schedule of meeting with the Korean press corps dispatched to Japan, visiting the facility being used to prepare meals for Korean athletes to give encouragement to the staff and watching Korean athletes participate in some events.