Japan's 2011 women's football World Cup-winning team to kick off Tokyo Olympics torch relay 

The Japanese women's football team that won the 2011 World Cup will be the first torchbearers of the Tokyo Olympics torch relay, as confirmed by the organizers on Monday.

The torch relay will begin at the J-Village National Training Centre in the Fukushima prefecture in Japan on March 25.

Due to the current pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics torch relay ceremony, which is usually a very high-profile event, has been scaled down significantly. The number of participants and performers for the event has been drastically reduced as compared to the torch relays at previous Olympics.

Although spectators will not be allowed at the start ceremony and the first section of the opening day's torch relay, fans will be able to catch a live broadcast on an official channel of the Games.

After starting in Fukushima, the Tokyo Olympics torch relay will move across Japan. It will travel around in each of the 47 prefectures in Japan over the next few months and will finally arrive at the opening ceremony of the Games on July 23.

Japan is the only Asian nation to have won the women's football World Cup, besides finishing as the runners-up in 2015. The 2011 team was captained by Homare Sawa, and included Yukari Kinga, Azusa Iwashimizu, Mizuho Sakaguchi, Kozue Ando, Aya Miyama, Nahomi Kawasumi, Shinobu Ohno, Rumi Utsugi, Aya Sameshima, Megumi Takase, Megumi Takase, and Mana Iwabuchi, all of whom will be present at the torch relay.

There will be 47 torchbearers for the Tokyo Olympics torch relay

Greek Sports Minister and HOC President, Spyros Capralos hands over the Olympic torch to former Japanese swimmer Imoto Naoko during the Flame Handover Ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics in March 2020, in Athens, Greece

The organizers have selected torchbearers from each of the 47 prefectures in Japan. These torchbearers have been chosen from a wide variety of backgrounds, reflecting the Olympic spirit of diversity.

The complete list of the Tokyo Olympics torchbearers is available on the Tokyo 2020 website.