Olympics-Director fired over Holocaust comments on eve of opening ceremony

TOKYO -On the eve of the Tokyo Games, organisers fired the director of the opening ceremony over comments he made about the Holocaust, while media reported former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a memorable advocate for the Tokyo Games, would skip the showpiece event.

At the time, Abe and his supporters hoped the Olympics would parallel the 1964 Tokyo Games heralding the nation's revival after decades of economic stagnation and also mark its recovery from a devastating nuclear and natural disaster in 2011. "Any association of this person to the Tokyo Olympics would insult the memory of six million Jews and make a cruel mockery of the Paralympics," said Abraham Cooper, a rabbi and associate dean and global social action director of the centre.The opening ceremony on Friday, which normally stands as a major showcase of the host nation, is set to be a subdued https://www.reuters.

Only a third of Japanese have had at least one dose of the vaccine, fuelling public concerns that the Olympics could become a super-spreader event. Already dozens of attendees have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing athlete withdrawals and teammates into isolation.

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Olympics opening ceremony director steps down over past comments on holocaust -paperOlympics opening ceremony show director Kentaro Kobayashi has stepped down from his post following news reports about his past comments on the ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Japan former PM Abe to miss Olympics opening ceremony: ReportTOKYO: Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who memorably dressed up as the titular plumber from the Super Mario video game to promote the ... Scare of the Delta virus
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Olympics-Japan former PM Abe to miss Games opening ceremony - mediaTOKYO -Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who memorably dressed up as the titular plumber from the Super Mario video game to promote the ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Olympics-Tokyo opening ceremony will be 'sobering' show, not flashyForget the mass choreography, the huge props and the cornucopia of dancer, actors and lights associated with an Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Olympics-Kennys ready to fire up gold-medal machineIf Jason Kenny and his wife Laura were a country, their five track cycling golds at the Rio Olympics would have put them in the top 20 in the ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Softball-Relief for Japan, US on wins as action begins at GamesJapanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno began the pandemic-postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday by firing a fastball off the plate to start a softball ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »