Japanese Olympic athletes gather for official launch ceremony; later at farewell party with 6,000 fans, The two competitors picked as banner carriers for the initial function, female fencer Misaki Emura and male boss Shigeyuki Nakarai, spread the word about their goals in addresses to their partners. "I will battle genuinely and earnestly until the end," said Emura, 25, while Nakarai, 22, said: "I vow to give my best exhibition." Both are viewed as competitors for the gold award. The Japanese Olympic Board of trustees (JOC) anticipates that the appointment in Paris should incorporate in excess of 400 competitors, making it the biggest assignment for an abroad Summer Olympics. The past record was 339 at the 2008 Beijing Games.The JOC has defined itself the objective of winning 20 gold decorations, outperforming the past best presentation of 16 gold awards won during the 2004 Athens Olympics abroad.