Players on 2011 World Cup team to open Olympic torch relay

5 years ago

FILE - In this March 20, 2019, file photo, Olympic torches of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are displayed during a press conference in Tokyo. Members of the Japanese soccer team that won the Women's World Cup in 2011 will be the first to carry the torch for the Tokyo Olympics when the relay opens on March 26, 2020. Organizers made the announcement on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019 but did not say which player - or players - would be the first to carry the torch. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

TOKYO (AP) — Members of the Japan soccer team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2011 will be the first to carry the Olympic torch when the relay opens on March 26.

The Japanese portion of the relay is to begin in J-Village in Fukushima prefecture about 250 kilometers (150 miles) north of Tokyo. The area was devastated on March 11, 2011, by an earthquake, tsunami, and the subsequent meltdown of three nuclear reactors.

Organizers did not say which player or players would be the first to carry the torch. The torch will go to all 47 Japanese prefectures.