復興支援に感謝のブーケ　被災地産、メダリストへ贈呈―東京五輪

　復興支援への感謝をブーケに託して―。東京五輪・パラリンピックのメダリストには、副賞として東日本大震災の被災地で栽培された花で作った「ビクトリーブーケ」が贈られる。ブーケ贈呈を大会組織委員会に持ち掛けた日本花き振興協議会は、「世界中から送られた支援への感謝の気持ちを届けたい」と思いを込める。
　五輪メダリストのブーケに使われるのは、宮城県産のヒマワリ。「復興の印」として県内各地で植えられている。これに、上品な藍色の岩手県産リンドウとボリューム感たっぷりの福島県産トルコギキョウが添えられる。パラリンピックでは、ヒマワリの代わりに鮮やかなピンク色の宮城県産のバラがあしらわれる。
　震災から１０年が経過しても復興はまだ道半ば。協議会は世界の注目が集まる五輪で被災地の花をアピールすることで、「頑張っている姿が伝われば」と期待している。（2021/07/22-13:32）

Athletes winning gold, silver and bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics would be given a special bouquet made with flowers grown in northeastern Japan areas struck hard by the March 2011 disasters.
   "We would like to deliver our gratitude for the support we have received from all over the world for the reconstruction of areas afflicted by" the huge earthquake and tsunami, an official at the Nippon Flower Council said. The council has proposed to the Tokyo Games organizing committee that a special bouquet thanking for the reconstruction assistance be presented to Tokyo Games medal winners.
   The "victory bouquet" for medal-winning Olympians comprises sunflowers grown in many areas in Miyagi Prefecture as "a symbol of reconstruction," Japanese gentians with chic indigo petals from Iwate Prefecture and gorgeous Eustoma grandiflorum from Fukushima Prefecture, according to the council. The bouquet for Paralympic medalists will use pink roses from Miyagi for sunflowers.
   With the postdisaster reconstruction still continuing some 10 years after the disasteres, the council hopes that showing flowers from disaster areas at the Olympics and Paralympics, which draw attention from across the globe, will help let the world know that people in the areas keep hanging on, the official said.
   Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima were hit hardest by the quake and tsunami. Also, Fukushima is home to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, which sustained heavy damage from the natural disaster and experienced an unprecedented triple meltdown.