Tokyo 2020 - Naoki Sato - Medal Ceremony Music

Copyright (c) 2021 Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games

Held from 23 July to 8 August 2021, the Summer Olympics have headed to Tokyo, Japan for the second time after 1964, and this was the first time in its history that the Games have been postponed and rescheduled, rather than cancelled, as a result of the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

It was also the first time that the Olympics were held behind closed doors, with no fans being permitted in venues, and it was due to a new state of emergency being declared in the Tokyo area at the time, which lasted from 12 July through 22 August.

As described, it is said that the soundtrack for the Games' victory ceremony is based on the idea that it should be a tribute to the athletes and express the deepest respect for them all, and the object was to present a noble song that embraces and accepts all kinds of emotions related to accomplishment, victory, challenge, joy, adversity and hope.

The music is composed by Naoki Sato, who was among one of the leading Japanese composers. A decorated composer, he has created numerous pieces of music for TV dramas and films, such as numerous popular anime series including the first five "Pretty Cure" series (2004-08), as well as "X" (2001), "Eureka Seven" (2005), "Sword of the Stranger" (2007), and "Blood-C" (2011). He also provided the music for the "Space Battleship Yamato" film, as well as the "Rurouni Kenshin" and "Parasyte" live-action film series. For the 38th Japan Academy Prize in 2015, Sato was nominated in the Best Score category for his work in the 2013 war drama "The Eternal Zero".

Sato had stated in an article that composing music for an Olympic victory ceremony was a new experience for him, and for this soundtrack, he decided not to employ any distinctly Japanese elements in his piece, adding that victory ceremonies are for athletes from around the world and he wanted them – regardless of where they are from – to feel at ease when rising to the podium. The music was recorded by a total of 144 performers who represent Japan’s top-class studio musicians and leading orchestras.