Skip to content

The Olympians

From 1964 to 2020
Main navigation
  • 1964 Posts
  • 2020 Posts
  • Recommendations
  • Book Reviews
  • About
Roy Tomizawa May 16, 2021 Japan, Olympics, Paralympics, Tokyo 1964, Tokyo 2020

The 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Logo: A Symbol of the Evolving Relationship Between the IPC and the IOC

My own 1964 Tokyo Paralympic pin

The 1964 Tokyo Paralympics were a landmark Games –  in fact, they were the first to be called a Paralympics.

The above picture is of an official pin for the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics, with the logo of a white dove and 5 circles interlocking in a “V” formation.

As explained to me by the records and information manager of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the dove represents “peace as well as love.” 

This logo is somewhat based on the logo for the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1960, held in Rome, which was a design of three interlocking wheelchair wheels. The 1964 version used five interlocking wheelchair wheels, but this time in a way similar to the Olympic rings, which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) objected to.

Today, the relationship between the IOC and the IPC is solid. Planning for both Tokyo2020 events are done in tandem. Official sponsors sign up to support both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. But in the past, that was not the case. And the design of the Paralympics logo is a case in point, according to the records and information manager.

The history of the Games’ logos is one that is marked by a relationship to the IOC that was not always as good as it is today. Multiple designs for logos were vetoed, as they too closely resembled the Olympic logo at a time when the IOC did not wish to be associated with the Paralympic Games.

At the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, the organizers designed a logo that featured five tear-shaped symbols which are apparently a common feature of Korean decorative art known as “Pa.” The designer arranged those five tears in a way similar to the Olympic rings.

And again, the IOC objected, resulting in a logo that contained three Pa in red, green and blue. This particular version was used by the IPC from 1994 to 2004, before morphing into a version of the IPC “Agitos” logo Paralympians are familiar with today.

 

Share or print this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Print
  • More
  • Email
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...
Posted in Japan, Olympics, Paralympics, Tokyo 1964, Tokyo 2020 and tagged IOC, IPC, Logo, Paralympics. Bookmark the permalink.

iThere are no comments

Add yours

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

1964 The Greatest Year in the History of Japan

Click on image to buy the book.

1964──日本が最高に輝いた年 敗戦から奇跡の復興を遂げた日本を映し出す東京オリンピック

Click on image to purchase book.

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,171 other subscribers

Blog Stats

  • 918,251 hits

Top Posts & Pages

  • The Effortless and Legendary Life of Johnny Weissmuller Part 4: Real-Life Hero Saves 11 Lives
  • Frédéric Weis and Le Dunk de la Mort: A Story of Descent, Depression, and Recovery
  • German High Jumper Dora Ratjen: Was She a Man or a Woman? Is that the Right Question?
  • Keiko Fukuda and The White Stripe in the Black Belt: A Symbol of Gender Discrimination in Judo Fades to Black
  • Techniques of the Winter Games Part 2: The Evolution of the Ski Jump
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Coach John Wooden: The Decision to Boycott the 1968 Mexico City Olympics
  • The Last of the Cinder Tracks

Recent Posts

  • At Journey’s End, From 1964 to 2020, Nothing But Gratitude
  • Five-Time Paralympian Claire Cashmore: A Superhuman Origin Story
  • The Rainy Games: A Cold, Wet Affair in Tokyo 57 Years Ago
  • Spectators at the Tokyo Olympics: What a Difference 57 Years Make
  • The Critical Role of Models: The Story of Para-Athletes James Wong and Andreas Onea

Categories

  • Basketball
  • Boating Sports
  • Boxing
  • Business
  • Candidate Cities
  • Diving
  • Doping
  • Economics
  • Environment
  • Equestrian
  • Field Hockey
  • Field Sports
  • Gender
  • Geo-politics
  • Gymnastics
  • health
  • Japan
  • Judo
  • Olympics
  • Other Olympics
  • Others
  • Paralympics
  • Pop Culture
  • Rio Olympics
  • security
  • Senior Sports
  • Soccer
  • Social
  • Social Issues
  • Swimming
  • Technology
  • Tokyo 1964
  • Tokyo 2020
  • Tourism
  • Track and FIeld
  • Volleyball
  • Water Sports
  • Weight lifting
  • Winter Sports
  • Wrestling

Category Cloud

1960 Rome Olympics 1964 Olympics 1964 Tokyo Olympics 1968 Mexico City Olympics 2012 London Olympics 2016 Rio Olympics 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2020 Olympics 2020 tokyo olympics avery brundage basketball Bob Hayes doping gymnastics IOC Judo marathon national stadium olympic village Paralympics rio olympics rowing soccer Tokyo 2020 Tokyo2020 tokyo olympics tourism track and field Usain Bolt Wrestling

© Roy Tomizawa and The Olympians from 2015 onwards. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Roy Tomizawa and The Olympians with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Powered by WordPress.com.
  • Home
  • 1964 Articles
  • About
  • Copyright Authorization
  • Recommendations
  • Referrals for the Book “1964: The Greatest Year in the History of Japan”
Secondary navigation
  • Search

Post navigation

When the Olympic Torch Relay was Sacred: A Young Japanese Woman Witnesses the 1964 Journey of the Sacred Flame Through Asia
Another Successful International Event in Tokyo: The Asia and Oceania Olympic and Paralympic Rowing Qualifier Held May 5-7

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: