The Olympic and Paralympic Games flags have arrived in Ishinomaki ©Tokyo 2020

The Olympic and Paralympic Games flags have arrived in Ishinomaki in the Miyagi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, to mark the six year anniversary since the tsunami and earthquake which devastated the area.

The port town was among the most affected areas by the 2011 disaster and over 3,000 people were killed, while more than 2,770 people remain unaccounted for.

Ishinomaki became the temporary home for the Olympic Cauldron from the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo when demolition work began on the National Stadium, with its replacement due to be the centrepiece for the Games in three years’ time.

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has undertaken a number of initiatives involving local children in an effort to contribute to the steady recovery of the area.

Teizan Elementary School served as an evacuation site for many during the aftermath of the disaster.

With a little over 200 students in total, the school has been an active supporter of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During the Rio 2016 Games, students took part in a host of activities including creating a collage of news articles about their favourite athletes and handwritten messages which they displayed at the school’s gymnasium.

Ishinomaki was among the most affected areas by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami ©Getty Images
Ishinomaki was among the most affected areas by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami ©Getty Images

At the Flag Ceremony, Akiko Sekine, a member of the Tokyo 2020 Athletes' Commission who competed in the triathlon at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, demonstrated to fourth and fifth graders how to improve their running skills.

“I’m very excited about the Tokyo Olympics," said Risa Endo, a student.

"My dream is to compete at an Olympic Games in the future, and I am very happy that the flags came to our school before the Games."

In a speech last year, Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori vowed to ensure the Olympic and Paralympic Games Torch Relay also visits a number of disaster-hit areas across Japan.

Mori, a former Japanese Prime Minister, also hinted that the Olympic Cauldron from the Games in the capital city may find its final resting place in a region hit by tragedy during a keynote speech at the World Forum on Sport and Culture.

It comes after International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzō Abe agreed that Fukushima, which was devastated after being struck by one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the country in 2011, should host events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The area was decimated when an earthquake and tsunami caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, with over 16,000 people losing their lives.