This is an article published on Asahi website yesterday evening about the Tokyo Olympics countdown clock.
I don’t know why the clock was unveiled yesterday, that is, 981 days before Tokyo Olympics. The article does not say whether this date was strategic or not.
Anyway, let’s see what words I can learn from this article!
The countdown clock カウントダウンクロック made its appearance 登場・とうじょう on November 16th. The clock that is 3 meters high was designed and built by the brand Omega. Omega is the official 公式・こうしき timekeeper タイムキーパー of the Olympics. The clock represents the Japanese flag 日の丸・ひのまる and can be seen before the Omega shop 店舗・てんぽ in Ginza, Tokyo.
The unveiling お披露目・おひろめ ceremony セレモニー featured Chad le Clos, London Olympics Gold medalist in the swimming race 競泳・きょうえい and the actress Nanao who said:
２０２０年へのカウントダウンが始まってわくわくしている。皆さんが素晴らしい結果を出してくれるよう祈っています
I am excited that the countdown for 2020 has started. I am praying for everyone to get fantastic results.
(I wonder if the presence of くれる allows us to translate that she is speaking of Japanese participants or hoping for good results for Japan)
Omega has been the official timekeeper since the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932. It has been decided that Omega will stay the official timekeeper until 2032.
Omega has introduced technologies such as false start フライング detector 検知器, touchpad タッチパッド for swimmers to stop the clock and high-speed cameras.
Our article ends here, but I would like to add some information that I found in the magazine Discover Japan, issue of September 2016. This issue was all about Tokyo Olympics. They presented the Olympic partners, among whom, Omega.
I found similar information about how Omega has been the sole 単一・たんいつ official timekeeper 公式時計 of the Olympics since 1932. Their technology has a 正確無比・せいかくむひ, an unrivaled accuracy. “正確な” means “accurate” and is used to say “an accurate clock” or “the correct time.”
Omega has also actively 積極的 introduced 導入・どうにゅう innovative measurement techniques 計測技術・けいそくぎじゅつ. Among them, a camera system that was more accurate than the human eye 目視より正確な (目視・もくし means “visually”) or electronic starter pistols that provided the runners with both a visual and sound signal: 閃光と音で知らせる. I have learned the word 閃光・せんこう last week while listening to a Tenniscoats song!
In 1932, Omega was the only brand to produce watches with technology such as スプリットセコンド機能 and to offer a high level of reliability concerning the accuracy: 正確で信頼度の高い. Since 1932, Omega has polished 磨き上げる・みがきあげる the precision with which we can record Olympics’ performances. For example, the touchpad for swimmers that was also mentioned in our Asahi article has been introduced by Omega during the London Olympics in 2012.
Finally, Discover Japan says that we can expect new exciting systems by Omega for the Tokyo Olympics:
東京大会においてもオメガらしい、ワクワクするような時計システムを編み出して、大会を盛り上げてくれそうだ。
Discover Japan, September 2016, p.77
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I’m learning Japanese, Korean and Chinese to read detective novels in these languages. I post about my reading progress and language study here. Best way to get in touch is on Mastodon 🙂
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