At the celebrations, Bach symbolically handed invitations to the Presidents of numerous National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

Among those accepting the invitations were Yasuhiro Yamashita of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Gou Zhongwen of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Denis Masseglia of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, Susanne Lyons of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye of the Senegalese National Olympic and Sports Committee.

They were all representing the NOCs of host countries of upcoming editions of the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 – and the Youth Olympic Games – Dakar 2022.

Invitations were also received by Tegla Loroupe, Chef de Mission of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, as well as Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates and Hellenic Olympic Committee counterpart Spyros Capralos.

"One year from now, Japan will make history," Bach said.

"It will be a wonderful and unique moment for our gracious Japanese hosts to show the world the best of Japan: your rich history and traditions, your cutting-edge innovation, your culture of hospitality, and, of course, your love for sport.

"Preparations are making excellent progress thanks to the amazing work of the Organising Committee and with outstanding cooperation and support from the Government and the business community.

"There is so much to look forward to.

"I have never seen an Olympic city as prepared as Tokyo with one year to go before the Olympic Games."

The ceremony took place at the Tokyo International Forum, which will host weightlifting at next year’s Games.

As well as Bach, it was also attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, IOC Coordination Commission chair Coates, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori.

"I believe the Tokyo 2020 Games will be passed down to the next generation as an important turning point in Olympic history," Mori said.

"It will be the second time that Tokyo hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where the world is united as one, regardless of differences in nationality, race, culture or religious views.

"I strongly hope the younger generation who learn to respect, understand and recognise each other through the Games will play a central role in building an inclusive society."

Abe added: "The last six years (since Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympics) have passed very quickly, and I am happy to hear that the preparations have been carried out as planned."

In the morning, as part of the Let’s GoGo event that allowed residents of Tokyo to try Olympic sports, Bach practised fencing, in which he won a men's team foil gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, with local children.

In addition to the formal presentation of invitations to the NOCs, the ceremony included the unveiling of the Tokyo 2020 medal designs, the presentation of the Torch Relay "ambassadors" as well as a rhythmic gymnastics performance by Japanese Olympian Honami Tsuboi.

Live music was also performed by the Yoshida Brothers and by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.

Coates recently called on the Organising Committee to ensure there is an immediate legacy after Tokyo 2020 by hosting major events following the conclusion of the Games.

In an interview with Kyodo News during the IOC's 11th project review of preparations in the Japanese capital, the Australian urged organisers to ingrain legacy planning in every aspect of the Games.

He also addressed what he described as "must-fix" infrastructure, construction and mitigation of transport challenges and heat risks, but was full of praise for Tokyo 2020.

Tokyo 2020 last month published an overview of its measures to counter the extreme heat expected during the Games.

It has been one of the biggest concerns for organisers in the lead-up to the event after a record heat wave in July 2018 killed over a dozen people in the city.

Allowing spectators to bring their own bottled water into venues under certain conditions, which had previously been prevented at past editions of the Olympic Games due to security and sponsorship, is among the measures.

"We are at the stage of finishing off our preparation efforts," Koike was reported as saying by Kyodo News today.

"Some of our venues are completed and we are currently testing our specific measures at the Olympic test events."

Tokyo 2020 is due to take place from July 24 to August 9.

Around 3.2 million Olympics tickets have already been sold, while more than 200,000 people have applied to be volunteers.