UIPM donates Coubertin bust to Tokyo 2020 President for installation in Sapporo Museum

The President of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Organising Committee, Seiko Hashimoto, formally received a Pierre de Coubertin bust from UIPM on the day of the Closing Ceremony, August 8.

The 30kg iron bust, representing the founder of Modern Pentathlon and the Modern Olympic Games, was gifted to Japan and will be installed in the Sapporo Olympic Museum.

It was presented by the UIPM President, Dr Klaus Schormann, along with UIPM Executive Board Member for Development, Viacheslav Malishev, and followed a similar ceremony at Rio 2016. The bust was made by German artist Karlheinz Oswald.

The reception was also attended by Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee staff Michiyasu Takahashi (Head of Executive Office), Senji Ishikawa (Senior Director of OFS) and Aki Murasato (Executive Director of OFS).

President Dr Schormann said: “On behalf of the UIPM global community and the Coubertin family, it was a great honour to present this bust to Ms Hashimoto as a gift for all of Japan.

“All visitors to the Sapporo Olympic Museum will now have the opportunity to learn a little more about the role played by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in setting up the modern Olympic Games and introducing Modern Pentathlon as the only sport conceived entirely for the Games.”