On Saturday, when Tokyo was chosen to be the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the winning team did not need to take to Twitter to celebrate; they had been there all along.
Stay tuned for the IOC’s decision at 5pm BA time, 5am Tokyo time. Fingers crossed for #Tokyo2020. Watch live here http://t.co/tzOerFZ18J
— TOKYO●2020/東京2020招致 ( @Tokyo2020jp) September 7, 2013
#Tokyo2020 elected #Olympic and #Paralympic Games Host City!
— TOKYO●2020/東京2020招致 ( @Tokyo2020jp) September 7, 2013
As Tweets were sent and Tokyo (@Tokyo2020jp) celebrated, it was left to Madrid (@Madrid2020es) and Istanbul (@Istanbul2020TR) to congratulate their rival.
We congratulate Tokyo for winning the 2020 Olympic Games bid.
— İstanbul 2020 ( @istanbul2020TR) September 7, 2013
We wish Tokyo every success. Tokyo will organize magnificent Olympic Games in 2020.
— Madrid 2020 ( @Madrid2020ES) September 7, 2013
Just as during the Games, enthusiasts across the globe also shared their reactions. At the height of conversation, there were more than 26,000 Tweets per minute surrounding Tokyo’s announcement. This interactive map shows each geotagged Tweet mentioning the Olympics decision. Search a country to see even more.
Click image to explore interactive animation. Map created with CartoDB.
Tokyo becomes the first Asian city to host the summer Olympics twice, with the Games returning there for the first time since 1964.
The Japan Olympic Committee celebrated immediately:
2020年東京オリンピック・パラリンピック開催決定!! たくさんのご支援、ご協力、本当にありがとうございました。 http://t.co/9iMZmIgTac #Tokyo2020 (写真:AP/アフロ) pic.twitter.com/OuCN4uDxa6
— 日本オリンピック委員会(JOC) ( @Japan_Olympic) September 7, 2013
And more celebratory Tweets followed. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzō Abe tweeted about “happiness from the bottom of my heart”.
安倍晋三です。 朝早くにすみません。ブエノスアイレスより速報です。 つい先ほど、東京が2020年の五輪開催地に選ばれました!! 本当にうれしい。 この心からの喜びを、皆さんとともに、分かち合いたいと思います。… http://t.co/LZqb5SvwUm
— 安倍晋三 ( @AbeShinzo) September 7, 2013
The Governor of Tokyo, Naoki Inose, tweeted a picture of himself with outgoing IOC president Jacques Rogge.
開催都市契約調印直前のロゲ会長、安倍首相と僕。IOC総会会場は「圏外」。いまホテルに戻り、ようやく送信可能。こちらは夜12時、日本はお昼ですね。 http://t.co/EYfRSMAeaw
— 猪瀬直樹/inosenaoki ( @inosenaoki) September 8, 2013
Mizuki Fujii, a medallist at the @London2012 Games, tweeted about her dream:
夢でオリンピックが東京に決まった。 起きたら現実\(//∇//)\ きゃ〜っっ おめでとう(((o(*゚▽゚*)o)))
— 藤井 瑞希 ( @mizuking0805) September 7, 2013
Another Japanese medallist, Ryosuke Irie, jumped in:
2020年東京五輪決定! 会場で”TOKYO”聞けて本当に鳥肌… 本当のスタートはここから。 最高の五輪にみんなでしたい!! 東京五輪の時30歳か… まずはリオ五輪。 pic.twitter.com/rsNdiApgHp
— 入江陵介 ( @ryosuke_irie) September 8, 2013
Japanese soccer star Hiroshi Kiyotake, who plays in Europe, tweeted to fans back home.
目が覚めたら… 東京オリンピック決定^ ^ すごい!
— 清武弘嗣 ( @13_hiroshi) September 7, 2013
Of course, other celebrities were also quick to speak up. Singers Becky, Ayumi Hamasaki and Haruna Kojima all tweeted:
オ リ ン ピ ッ ク ! 東 京 に 決 定 ! す ご す ぎ る ! 2020!
— ベッキー♪♯ ( @Becky_bekiko) September 7, 2013
オリンピック!!!
— ayumi hamasaki ( @ayu_19980408) September 7, 2013
2020年東京オリンピック決定おめでとうございます!!今日はみんなでユニフォームを着ました♪私はサッカー♪7年後…(^^) http://t.co/RSFryndAOC
— 小嶋 陽菜 ( @kojiharunyan) September 8, 2013
This was the first election of an Olympic host city since 2009, when Rio de Janeiro (@Rio2016) won the bid for 2016. This round, all three city prospects for 2020 used Twitter on the campaign trail.
And now, Tokyo begins the long road of preparation. You can prepare, too, by following @Tokyo2020jp, the official account for both the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.