As Tokyo wrapped up its winning bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, one speech during the final presentation resonated with members of the International Olympic Committee.
Mami Sato, a Paralympic athlete and a native of tsunami-hit Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, appeared to win the hearts of many on the committee.
In her speech, Sato, who competed in the Athens, Beijing and London Paralympics, said that after her hometown was destroyed on March 11, 2011, she and other athletes searched for ways to help the survivors, eventually bringing much-needed food, supplies and messages of hope to Kesennuma while also organizing sporting activities that showed the resilience of the Japanese spirit.