Manchester brings Olympic and Paralympic medallists together to celebrate Tokyo 2020

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham welcomed more than 80 people to Deloitte’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games event last night (3 March) to celebrate home-grown Olympic and Paralympic talent and the city’s strong business links with Japan.

Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including double Paralympic world champion Amy Truesdale and, following success at the cycling world championships last weekend, gold medallist, Elinor Barker, joined business and civic leaders from across Manchester in celebrating the upcoming Summer Games.

Held at Manchester Museum, the audience was welcomed by Deloitte partner and Honorary Consul of Japan Jo Ahmed and Mayor Andy Burnham, who praised the city’s Olympic athletes and Manchester’s position as a global leader for sporting excellence.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Athletes from Greater Manchester racked up a massive 23 medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, confirming our position as a capital city for sport on a global stage.

“Our athletes are just part of our relationship with Japan – in recent years we have strengthened our business links with the country  considerably and I am pleased to welcome the Japanese Ambassador to the UK, his excellency Ambassador Nagamine in his first visit to Manchester today.”

British Olympic Association CEO, Andy Anson, said: “Manchester is not only a key centre of Olympic sport in the UK but has been vital for the wider social and economic growth in this country. As we go into the final stages of planning for Tokyo 2020 it was a great pleasure to give an insight into the work being undertaken by Team GB and high performance sport in this country to prepare for the Games. In addition, it is important to celebrate our relationship with Japan, and Tokyo in particular, and we look forward to strengthening these ties even further this summer.”

Deloitte has been a partner of the British Olympic Association (BOA) since 2007, playing an integral role in the planning, preparation and delivery of Team GB’s success in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 games, which saw all medal records broken.

The business advisory firm has also been at the centre of promoting relations between the UK and Japan for many years since Jo Ahmed was appointed the Honorary Consul of Japan 2 years ago.

Jo Ahmed said: “It was fantastic to see a room full of our home-grown athletes gearing up for the Olympic and Paralympic games at our Tokyo 2020 event.

“Manchester and the North West have many synergies with Japan, especially around our common passion for innovation and modern technology. There are endless opportunities for businesses to improve relations and help each other grow, and the 2020 games is an excellent platform to facilitate that.”