A giant set of Olympic rings installed off Tokyo’s waterfront was towed away for inspections and maintenance Thursday after coronavirus forced the year-long postponement of the 2020 Games. The 69-ton interlocking rings went up off the Odaiba bay area at the beginning of the year, as the city began the final countdown to the Summer Olympics. They were intended to stay in place until the original end date of the Olympics, on August 9, and then be replaced by the Paralympics symbol. But on Thursday, the barge holding the monument – which is more than 15 metres tall and 32 metres wide (49 feet by 104 feet) – was towed back to shore.
