Tokyo, Mar 12 (IANS): The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Tuesday unveiled the official sport pictograms, some of which were originally introduced at the Tokyo Olympics of 1964.

Although there are 33 sports in the competition, the set released consists of 50 pictograms because some have several disciplines that have also been represented, the Olympic Committee said, reports Efe news.

The pictograms were unveiled during a ceremony marking 500 days until the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympics, which are due to start on July 24, 2020, and exactly one year before the Olympic torch is lit in Olympia, Greece.

The event was attended by several athletes and schoolchildren who released the pictograms for the first time to the public.

Karate expert Kiyo Shimizu, who was present during the event, described the karate pictogram as "very cool".

The pictograms, which have two designs - with and without frame - will be used in posters, tickets, licensed merchandise and also during the competition as signposts, maps or web pages, among other uses, the organizing committee said.

The pictograms are the work of the designer Masaaki Hiromura, who, through them, has tried to express the dynamic beauty of the athletes and ensure they respect the legacy of the pioneers of the 1964 Olympics, the committee said in a statement.

The Olympic pictograms were used for the first time in the Tokyo Games 55 years ago, which became a necessity to help communicate visually with a growing group of international athletes and spectators in a country where English is hardly spoken.

Since then, pictograms have been created for all the Olympic Games.