The director of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics joked about the Holocaust

The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee announced Thursday The dismissal of opening ceremony director Kentaro Kobayashi for a series of Holocaust jokes in the 1990s, The decision came on the eve of the events.

Especially In a statement, Kobayashi apologized for his comments he made during a comedy show, admitting that they were “extremely reckless.”. “I understand that I chose the wrong words at the time and that’s a mistake I regret. I apologize to everyone who offended,” he said.

Seiko Hashimoto, Chairman of the Committee, He stressed in a press conference that it is his “responsibility” that the organization does not conduct the necessary examinations on Kobayashi’s past and I apologize for the scandal, according to the Japanese news agency Kiodo.

“We are reviewing everything and quickly discussing how to celebrate it,” he said, referring to the ceremony. We would like to reach a conclusion as soon as possible. The opening ceremony is tomorrow so we will prepare to find out how to do it.”

Kobayashi’s exit came after he came out A video in which he appears in a humorous show joking about the Holocaust, This has been criticized by various sectors of the Jewish community, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, based in Los Angeles.

This was confirmed by Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the dean of this center “No one, no matter how creative they may be, has the right to mock the victims of the Nazi genocide,” He added that Kobayashi’s role in the Olympics would be an affront to the memory of the victims.

Thus, Kobayashi became the second official in charge of the opening ceremony to leave the team, after Keijo Aoyamada, Another of those responsible for the event resigned a few days ago after admitting that he had in the past engaged in acts of harassment and abuse against children with disabilities.

Leaves increase due to Covid-19

Hours before the official opening of the Olympic Games, With the increase in the arrival of delegations in Tokyo, the number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 has also increased and the reactions are not long in coming.

On Wednesday, Simon Biles left with five other American players Olympic Village To stay at a nearby hotel. The decision was made after Kara Ecker, a substitute gymnast for the North American team, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

no Gymnastics Federation How the athletes’ coaches made the decision to leave the Olympic Village. And they didn’t miss the opportunity to point out that this had been their intention from the start, in anticipation of a situation like the one that had finally emerged. Initially, both Union and . were US Olympic Committee They decide to keep the identity of the injured person. Hours later, he learned that the injured athlete was Ecker.

Alarms have been set off after the three positive cases over the past week. Until then, the names of the athletes were reserved. But in Iker’s case, it was his coach who confirmed the positive result.. Immediately, anxiety grew as Kara maintained contact with the entire team, especially on walks around the villa. The father of the injured athlete mentioned that his daughter was injured No visible symptoms And he got Serum against the virus two months ago.

(With information from Europa Press)

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