Japan has hit another bump on the road to the 2020 Olympics. Olympic organizers have decided to scrap the Tokyo 2020 logo following another allegation that its designer may have used copied materials.
The organizers' decision comes after reversing their earlier support for designer Kenjiro Sano in light of mounting criticism about the allegedly stolen design, according to BBC.
"We have reached a conclusion that it would be only appropriate for us to drop the logo and develop a new emblem," said Toshio Muto, director general of the Tokyo organizing committee. "At this point, we have decided that the logo cannot gain public support."
Initially, the design was defended, with organizers saying it centered on a "T" for Tokyo and takes inspiration from the Japanese flag, with a red circle representing the sun. However, Belgian designer Olivier Debie claimed that the design was similar to his 2013 logo for the Theatre de Liege and notes he and the theater had filed a lawsuit to prevent it from being used, according to Fox News.
Debie expressed surprise at the organizers' decision, saying, "I thought the Olympic committee was a big machine and I didn't dare to take action against them."
But the director of the Theatre de Liege had told him they had to "do something" and they sought the help of good copyright lawyers.
He said the logo, devised in 2011, had been official for two years and would have been available on sites like Pinterest around the world.
While Sano has denied plagiarizing the logo, he has admitted his team did copy other work for a beer promotion and faces several other accusations of plagiarism, according to the Guardian.
Muto said the organizing committee will have another competition to decide a new logo "as soon as possible".
Last month the design for the Tokyo Olympic Stadium was scrapped due to astronomical project costs.
