IRIE KOKEN CO., LTD.Designers and manufacturers of Vacuum Bellows,
Vacuum Valves, and Vacuum Equipment
After the olympic
Norihiro Irie
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which had been making noise for several years on August 8, ended with great success, although it was unattended.
I feel a special loneliness while watching the extinguishing torch of the National Stadium. I wrote about my feelings for the torchbearer in an article in the Vacuum Journal, but I feel that this event is like a memory of my childhood and an important thread that connects my deceased father and me now. It was only a minute and a half of his event, but it was a mysterious time as if the 57 years I had been walking with my father were packed there.
On the morning of April 22, I was sent off by my family and three employees from a hotel in Ainan Town, Ehime Prefecture, and headed for the meeting place, Ainan Town Civic Center. The torch relay in Matsuyama on the previous day was canceled for the first time in Japan due to a COVID-19 infection, and only the torch kiss ceremony was held. Fortunately, there was a limit on the number of people along the road in Ainan Town, but I managed to run.
When I arrived at the meeting place, a person who seemed to be the mayor came and said, "I'm sorry. He was planning to participate in 600 elementary and junior high school students along the road, but due to this infectious disease, the number of people was limited." talk. For a small country town, it will be the biggest event of the century and many tourists will come.
I think it was regrettable.
However, the enthusiasm of the torch relay staffs and the people at the government office welcomed me.
Change into the torchbearer's clothing, receive an explanation, and with the applause of the staff, take the shuttle bus to the parking lot of Maze Park, the starting point.
In the morning, the cloudy sky cleared up before I knew it, and the bus ran in the sunlight through the forest.
There were a lot of staff, press, buses, and cars in the parking lot, and I was waiting for the arrival of the runners.
When I said to the staff on the bus, "There are a lot of people," he said, "You are a super VIP for this city."
When I heard that, I suddenly became embarrassed, and my legs began to tremble.
It seems that the staff is also taking a break from work for half a year and participating as a staff for this torch relay. "You are the chosen person. We are delighted to support it, so do your best."
The bus goes from the parking lot to the delivery point in the course.
Just like sending out a brave man heading to the battlefield Applause occurs. The feeling of tension increases.
Receive the torch from the previous runner, run, and hand it over to the next runner.
It was a momentary event.
It is difficult to express the feelings at that time. I took off the limiter of my heart and expressed my joy without thinking about anything. I intended to thank my family, friends, staff, the people who supported my life, and the companies that support me now with the best smiles of my life. Did you get it?
The "chosen person" of the torch relay is the person who has the responsibility to connect the dreams of many people at the same time. Impress people by being able to hold the Olympic Games safely. I think I was able to fulfill that responsibility.
The next Olympics will be held in Paris. Unlike the Tokyo Games, which were held without spectators, many people gather in Paris. IKC’s Conservator should be used for the railroads that carry those people. Realize a dream that could not be done in Tokyo in France. What a wonderful thing!
The next person to connect that dream is the "chosen person".
