TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 23: Naomi Osaka of Team Japan lights the Olympic cauldron with the Olympic torch during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
2021 Getty Images
Tennis star Osaka lights Olympic flame as Games begin
The Tokyo 2020 Games are officially under way as Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic flame in a poignant opening ceremony…
The four-time major winner and Japanese superstar in tennis was the final torchbearer as part of the Olympic Torch Relay at the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony.
Let the Games begin – the Olympic cauldron has been lit.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka of Japan had the distinct honour of serving as the final torchbearer of the Olympic Torch Relay , lighting the cauldron inside Olympic Stadium for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021.
Osaka, 23, is a four-time major champion in tennis who is making her Olympic debut. She won her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier in 2021.
Her lighting of the cauldron served as one of the final moments of a moving Opening Ceremony, leading the way with hope for the world and furthering the “Stronger Together” message that has been embraced by these Games.