A total of 2,042 mascot design submissions for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were received from the public, the games organizers announced Tuesday.
According to the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, there were 1,774 individual submissions and 268 group submissions, with approximately 40 percent of the applications received immediately before the Monday deadline. In 2015, when the games' emblem redesign was launched, 14,599 submissions were received.
Many applicants were young, with a quarter of the total in their teens or 20s, while roughly half the submissions were from people aged 30 to 49. The oldest applicants were in their 80s. Some designs were created as part of elementary school club projects.
In a statement, the organizers said they were pleased to see so many submissions despite the difficult conditions in the contest.
The judging process will begin on Aug. 22, with the process continuing until the field is narrowed down to three or four final candidates. Elementary school classes nationwide will vote on the final candidates from Dec. 11 to Jan. 19, with the winner expected to be announced in the beginning of February.
"I can feel the very high expectations," said Ryohei Miyata, commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, who chairs the mascot evaluation board. "I look forward to the day when I can meet the mascot, whose presence will energize the games. I will judge the entries thoroughly."