Tokyo 2020 `snake-eye' logo fails to excite

Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizers unveiled a new "snake-eye" logo nearly eight months after the original choice was scrapped over a plagiarism scandal, but faced immediate criticism that it was "dull."

The new emblem with roots in feudal Japan was created by designer Asao Tokolo and features a circular indigo-colored Japanese traditional checkered pattern above the words "Tokyo 2020" and the Olympic rings.

Its three varieties of rectangular shapes represent "different countries, cultures and ways of thinking."

"I don't know what to say, my mind's gone blank," Tokolo said during the unveiling of the logo in Tokyo. "The Olympic logo is a traditional design resembling a snake's eye and the other (Paralympic) is shaped like patterns often used by feudal warlords."

Games organizers were forced to ditch a logo by designer Kenjiro Sano last year following allegations it too closely resembled that of a theater in the Belgian city of Liege created by designer Olivier Debie.

Social media reaction, however, was underwhelming.

"What a dull emblem," tweeted one user, with another dismissing it as a "bistro tablecloth." "They picked the least colorful one," said another.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE