Bach bestows Abe with IOC's highest honour

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VIDEO SHOWS: FORMER JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE, IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH AND OTHER OFFICIALS ARRIVING AT CEREMONY / BACH PRESENTING ABE WITH OLYMPIC ORDER / SOUNDBITES FROM BACH, ABE AND TOKYO 2020 CHIEF YOSHIRO MORI / BACH AND ABE POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH ABE WEARING OLYMPIC ORDER / EXTERIOR OF NATIONAL STADIUM AND OLYMPIC RINGS

SHOWS:

TOKYO, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 16, 2020) (FOREIGN POOL - ACCESS ALL)

1. INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) MEMBER AND HEAD OF TOKYO 2020 COORDINATION COMMISSION JOHN COATES AT CEREMONY

2. VARIOUS OF FORMER JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE AND IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH ARRIVING FOR CEREMONY

3. JAPAN FLAG AND OLYMPIC RINGS

4. OFFICIALS STANDING FOR OLYMPIC ANTHEM

5. BACH WALKING TO PODIUM

6. VARIOUS OF ABE WALKING AND STANDING NEXT TO OLYMPIC ORDER

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT, THOMAS BACH, SAYING:

"This was a difficult and far-reaching decision, for all of us. For you, as prime minister, for Japan and Tokyo but also for the IOC and the world's best athletes. The fact that we were able to arrive at a decision in a discussion that only took about 30 minutes, without bureaucratic back-and-forth over details, illustrates the great mutual trust and understanding that we share."

8. BACH ANNOUNCING AWARD BEING AWARDED TO ABE / BACH SAYING (English): "YOUR EXCELLENCY, ABE SHINZO: IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR OUTSTANDING MERIT IN THE CAUSE OF WORLD SPORT, AND YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO THE OLYMPIC IDEAL, AS ILLUSTRATED BY PIERRE DE COUBERTIN, RENOVATOR OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES, I AWARD YOU THE OLYMPIC ORDER IN GOLD." / BACH WALKING TO ABE AND PLACING OLYMPIC ORDER AROUND NECK / BACH CLAPPING AND ABE BOWING WITH OLYMPIC ORDER AROUND NECK / ABE WALKING TO PODIUM

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) FORMER JAPAN PRIME MINISTER, SHINZO ABE, SAYING:

"I humbly accept this Order today in the spirit of receiving it on behalf of all the Japanese who, devoting themselves to the Olympic movement, have worked indefatigably, in unfailingly high spirits, to make the eagerly-awaited Tokyo 2020 Games a success."

10. TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT YOSHIRO MORI BOWING AT PODIUM

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT, YOSHIRO MORI, SAYING:

"In the game's universe, Mario has a reliable companion called Yoshi. My name is Yoshiro, and let us help each other like Mario and Yoshi, to continuously join our forces together with the IOC and other stakeholders toward the success of the Games in Tokyo."

12. VARIOUS OF MORI GREETING BACH, COATES AND ABE

13. VARIOUS OF ABE AND BACH POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS

14. ABE AND BACH ELBOW BUMPING

TOKYO, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 16, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

15. VARIOUS OF EXTERIORS OF NATIONAL STADIUM

16. NATIONAL STADIUM / JAPAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (JOC) MUSEUM WHERE AWARD CEREMONY TOOK PLACE

17. JOC LOGO

18. VARIOUS OF OLYMPIC RINGS WITH NATIONAL STADIUM BEHIND

STORY: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received the Olympic Order, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) highest accolade, from the governing body's president Thomas Bach in Tokyo on Monday (November 16).

Bach is visiting Tokyo this week and one of his first tasks was presenting Abe with the award at a ceremony hosted by the Japanese Olympic Committee, in the shadow of the newly-built National Stadium.

The Olympic Order is given to those whom the IOC believes have given particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic movement.

Other recent winners of the award include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pope Francis and World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe.

During his time as prime minister, Abe was all but synonymous with Tokyo 2020, heavily involved in the winning bid in 2013 and dressing up as video game character Mario during the closing ceremony of the Rio Games three years later.

He also announced the Games would be postponed until July 23 to Aug. 8, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

(Production: Jack Tarrant)