Tokyo 2020 dismisses opening ceremony director

Published 4:45 am Thursday, July 22, 2021

By American Press Staff

STORY: Japan OLY Director – Tokyo 2020 dismisses opening ceremony director

LENGTH: 02:13

FIRST RUN: 0446

RESTRICTIONS: Part Editorial Use Only/ Mandatory Credit ©Tokyo 2020

TYPE: Japanese/Natsound/Part Mute

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS/©Tokyo 2020 via AP

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STORY NUMBER: 4336400

DATELINE: 22 July 2021 – Tokyo

SHOTLIST:

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: PART MANDATORY CREDIT TO ©TOKYO 2020. EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tokyo – 22 July 2021

1. Wide of news conference

2. Media

3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo 2020 President:

“Kentaro Kobayashi, who is a member of the Opening Ceremony production team, had in the past during his own performance said lines that mocked a painful historic fact. As such, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee today has dismissed Mr. Kobayashi.”

4. Cutaway of conference

5. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo 2020 President:

“The Opening Ceremony is just around the corner, I apologize deeply to the many relevant people, the people of Tokyo, and the people of the nation for causing inconvenience.”

6. Cutaway of conference

7. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo 2020 President:

“On Mr Kobayashi, information began coming in to me, and members of the organizing committee members from late night to this morning, so we began discussing. We did not know at all that such a thing existed. This time we found these problems, and as this can have various diplomatic issues, we thought it would be important to deal with it as soon as possible, and hence our decision to dismiss him.”

8. Wide of news conference

©TOKYO 2020 – AP PROVIDES ACCESS TO THIS PUBLICLY DISTRIBUTED HANDOUT PHOTO PROVIDED BY ©TOKYO 2020; MANDATORY CREDIT/EDITORIAL USE ONLY

FILE: Exact date and location unkniwn

9. STILL of Director of Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, Kentaro Kobayashi

STORYLINE:

The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on Thursday fired the director of the opening ceremony because of a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998.

Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said opening ceremony 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,” in one of his shows.

His dismissal comes the day before Friday’s opening ceremony of the pandemic-delayed Games.

Earlier this week, a composer whose music is expected to be used at the opening ceremony was forced to resign because of past bullying of his classmates, which he boasted about in magazine interviews.

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