07/22/2021 2:01 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 07/22/2021 2:01 AM
The artistic director of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games scheduled for this Friday,
Kentaro Kobayashi,
presented his resignation on Thursday after criticism received for joking about the Holocaust a few years ago.
The Japanese comedian and theater director left his position as director of the opening and closing events of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as a result of the protests generated by his "
inappropriate" comments
, as announced by the organizing committee in a press conference .
Kobayashi resigned after several Jewish organizations issued protests about a performance by the Japanese artist dating back to 1998, when during one scene he referred to some paper dolls as "the ones you said last time: 'We
're going to play the Holocaust
!'" , causing laughter from the audience.
The 48-year-old comedian apologized for "his
extremely inappropriate
expressions
" that he made "when he was very young."
In addition, he regretted "not being able to make people smile" and "having
disrespected
and caused discomfort", while assuming that the best option was "to stop working" for the Tokyo Games.
Kentaro Kobayashi had to resign from hosting the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony. AP Photo
The president of the organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said that Tokyo 2020
accepted the resignation
of the artistic director since all the personnel involved in the preparation of the Olympic event "must be immaculate."
The umpteenth scandal that affects the Games comes two days after the composer also resigned from part of the music that was to be used in the ceremony, after another controversy over an old interview in which he
admitted to having bullied disabled people
.
Organizers "are now discussing
how to manage the opening ceremony
" and hope "to reach a conclusion soon," Hashimoto explained.
Kobayashi was in charge of the general supervision of the three sections that will have the opening ceremony of the Games this Friday and was in charge of
"giving coherence"
to all parties, according to the organizers.
In previous months, the former chairman of the organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, also resigned after controversial
sexist comments
, as well as another creative director who suggested characterizing a popular Japanese actress as a pig at the opening ceremony.
"It is something that
should never have happened
. These incidents have had a tremendous impact, so this time we have decided to have a quick reaction," Hashimoto said when asked about the incessant list of problems for the organizers.
The National Stadium, scene of the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020. Photo Ayano Sato / EFE
With information from EFE.
DB
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