A pair of chequerboard designs have been unveiled as the new official logos for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games, after the original designs were ditched amid claims of plagiarism.
The pair of emblems created by Tokyo-based artist Asao Tokolo, who previously studied architecture at Tokyo Zokei University, comprise a variety of indigo rectangles arranged on a white background.
Variations between the two globe-shaped designs are intended to create distinct branding for the two sections of the games, which are to be held in various venues across the city including a new stadium designed by Kengo Kuma.
Tokolo's logos were chosen as the winners of an international competition, launched by the Tokyo 2020 Emblems Selection Committee in late 2015 to replace designs by Japanese designer Kenjiro Sano, which were scrapped following plagiarism claims. The previous Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo by Kenjiro Sano was withdrawn after similarities were made to earlier work by Belgian designer Olivier Debie
The chequerboard pattern used by Tokolo, known as ichimatsu moyo, is intended to express a "refined elegance and sophistication that exemplifies Japan," according to the Tokyo 2020 Emblems Selection Committee.

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"Composed of three varieties of rectangular shapes, the design represents different countries, cultures and ways of thinking. It incorporates the messag...