IOC President experiences first-hand Toyota’s latest technology in Japan

The IOC President, Thomas Bach,  today visited Toyota’s research and development facility, the Higashi-Fuji Technical Centre, in Shizuoka, Japan. 

President Bach was hosted by Akio Toyoda, the President of Toyota Motor Corporation, as well as Moritaka Yoshida, Executive Vice President. Together they had the chance to discuss the latest Toyota innovations in mobility ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. They were taken on a ride in the latest fuel cell bus, “Sora”, which Toyota plan to use to transport athletes and officials during the Olympic Games. Later they drove the fuel cell electric vehicle, “Mirai”, at the test track in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

IOC / Greg Martin
IOC / Greg Martin © IOC / Greg Martin

Mr Toyoda explained: “What Mr Bach and the IOC saw today is just a glimpse of the kind of mobility that will be available around and between the venues throughout Tokyo during the 2020 Olympic Games. Our engineers are deep in the preparations for Tokyo, and we have also already started considering how we can support the Beijing Games by exploring even further integration between our vision of “mobility for all” and the host city. The Olympic Movement gives us a fantastic opportunity to imagine and propose the future of mobility, in the spirit of challenge and teamwork to which we equally aspire. I’m really excited to see it.”

The IOC President said “We are all highly appreciative to Toyota for this look into the future.  It shows that Toyota and Mr Toyoda are real visionaries for the future of mobility. To use the Olympic Games as a stepping stone into the future makes us very happy and proud.  Toyota is offering this new technology to us and we are offering the Olympic Games as a stage to present it to the whole world," he added.

IOC / Greg Martin
IOC / Greg Martin © IOC / Greg Martin

The IOC President was joined by Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC Marketing Commission Chair, JOC President & Vice-President of Tokyo 2020, and John Coates, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020. The IOC is currently in Tokyo for an Executive Board meeting and the 7th Coordination Commission meeting.

Toyota became the first ever mobility partner of the Olympic Movement in 2015, with a partnership through to 2024. In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, with sustainability as one of its key pillars, Toyota works with the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, including Tokyo 2020, to provide sustainable mobility solutions for the Games to help with safer, more efficient mobility. This includes intelligent transport systems, urban traffic systems and vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems. The partnership helps deliver a mobility legacy in the host cities and countries.

https://www.olympic.org/sponsors/toyota

Toyota
Toyota © Toyota