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TOKYO (AP) – The organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday fired the director of the opening ceremony over a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998.
The chairman of the organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said a day before the opening ceremony that manager Kentaro Kobayashi had been sacked. He was accused of using a Holocaust joke in his comedy act, including the phrase “Let’s play the Holocaust”.
“We found out that Mr. Kobayashi, in his own performance, used a phrase that ridiculed a historical tragedy,” Hashimoto said. “We deeply apologize for causing such a development on the eve of the opening ceremony and for causing problems and concerns to many parties involved as well as to the people of Tokyo and the rest of the country.”
The opening ceremony of the Games delayed by the pandemic is scheduled for Friday evening. The ceremony will take place without spectators to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections, although some officials, guests and media will attend.
Earlier this week, composer Keigo Oyamada, whose music was to be used at the ceremony, was forced to resign due to past bullying from his classmates, whom he bragged about in magazine interviews. His music segment will not be used.
Soon after a music video and script for Kobayashi’s performance was revealed, critics flooded social media.
“Anyone, no matter how creative, has no right to make fun of the victims of the Nazi genocide,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean and global director of advocacy at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a group human rights advocate based in Los Angeles. . He also noted that the Nazis were gassing disabled Germans.
“Any association of this person with the Tokyo Olympics would insult the memory of 6 million Jews and make a mockery of the Paralympic Games,” he said.
Kobayashi is a former member of popular comedy duo Rahmens and known abroad for comedy series including “The Japanese Tradition”.
The last-minute scandals come as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government faces criticism for prioritizing the Olympics despite public health concerns amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
Kobayashi’s Holocaust joke and Oyamada’s resignation were the latest to plague the Games. Yoshiro Mori has resigned as president of the organizing committee for sexist remarks. Hiroshi Sasaki also resigned as the Creative Director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies after suggesting a Japanese actress dress like a pig.
Also this week, the chiropractor of the US women’s wrestling team apologized after comparing Olympic COVID-19 protocols to Nazi German y in a social media post. Rosie Gallegos-Main, a women’s wrestling chiropractor since 2009, will be allowed to complete her planned stay at the USA Wrestling pre-Olympic camp in Nakatsugawa, Japan.
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More AP: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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