Olympics: Ceremony marks start of lumber procurement for Tokyo Olympics venue

A tree cutting ceremony took place in the central Japan town of Shirakawa on Tuesday to mark the start of lumber procurement for a communal facility in the athletes' village of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture is one of 63 local governments providing wood for the Village Plaza as part of an initiative by the Tokyo Games organizing committee to involve all parts of Japan.Beginning with a prayer for safety, the ceremony featured the town's mayor chanting and beating a state wooden axe against the trees. Chainsaws were then used to cut down a Japanese cypres…READ FULL ARTICLE