Kentaro Kobayashi Fired From Olympics Opening Ceremony By Cortney Drakeford The delayed Tokyo Olympics have been plagued by coronavirus concerns
The creative director of the opening ceremony for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics has been fired after an old video of him making a joke about the Holocaust resurfaced.
On Thursday, the Olympic Organizing Committee announced Kentaro Kobayashi has been fired from his position in the opening ceremony after his comedy routine from the 1990s began to circulate online.
In the clip, Kobayashi is allegedly heard saying, “Let’s play the genocide of Jews” and speaking about the Holocaust.
“We found out that Mr. Kobayashi, in his own performance, has used a phrase ridiculing a historical tragedy,” said Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Olympic Organizing Committee.
On Friday evening, local time, Japan will welcome the world to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Unfortunately, the lead up to the Games has been been mired in fears caused by a resurgence in COVID-19.
According to Japan s NHK, the country reported 5,397 new cases as of early Thursday evening, with the host city itself reporting one,979.
The Tokyo figure is the highest number of cases in six months. Experts fear a 5th wave has arrived ahead of the Olympics.
The seven-day average of new cases in Japan has more than doubled over the past two weeks.
On top of that, just 22-percent of the population are fully vaccinated, leading experts to believe an explosive increase could happen over the coming weeks, while the Olympics take place.
Miembros del staff de los Juegos reunidos en las inmediaciones del Estadio Nacional de Tokio. / Franck Robichon (Efe)
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WCCB Charlotte s CW
July 22, 2021
TOKYO (AP) The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee fired the director of the opening ceremony on Thursday because of a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998.
Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said a day ahead of the opening ceremony that director Kentaro Kobayashi has been dismissed. He was accused of using a joke about the Holocaust in his comedy act, including the phrase “Let’s play Holocaust.”
“We found out that Mr. Kobayashi, in his own performance, has used a phrase ridiculing a historical tragedy,” Hashimoto said. “We deeply apologize for causing such a development the day before the opening ceremony and for causing troubles and concerns to many involved parties as well as the people in Tokyo and the rest of the country.”