Olympics-Opening ceremony director fired over Holocaust joke on Games eve

On theeveof the TokyoGames, organisersfiredthedirectorof theopeningceremonyoverajokehe made about theHolocaust, while media reported former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a staunch advocate for the TokyoGames, would skip the showpieceevent.

The news is the latest in a series of embarrassments for Tokyo organisers that have sparked outrage and comes just days after a well known musician was forced to step down as composer for theceremonyafter old reports of his bullying and abusive behaviour surfaced.

Earlier this year, the head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee resigned after making sexist remarks and TokyoOlympicscreative head followed after he made derogatory comments about a popular Japanese female entertainer.

TokyoGamesorganisersfiredKentaro Kobayashi on Thursdayoverajokehe made about theHolocaustas part of his comedy act in the 1990s that recently resurfaced in domestic media.

"I offer my deep apology for causing trouble and worry for many people concerned as well as Tokyo residents and Japanese people when theopeningceremonyis almost upon us," said a sombre Seiko Hashimoto, who heads the organising committee.

Earlier, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, an international Jewish human rights organisation, released a statement saying Kobayashi's association with theOlympicswould "insult the memory" of the six million Jewish people who perished in theHolocaust.

Kobayashi apologised for his past comments in a statement.

Former PM Abe, who famously dressed up as the titular plumber from video game Super Mario at the RioGamesto represent Japan, played an outsized role in attracting theOlympicsto Tokyo.

At the time of the bid, Abe and his supporters hoped theOlympicswould parallel the 1964 TokyoGamesheralding the nation's revival after decades of economic stagnation and also mark its recovery from a devastating nuclear and natural disaster in 2011.

But the spectacle of last-minute personnel changes, the resurfacing of past abusive comments and the looming presence of the pandemic threatened to turn theOlympicsinto a "PR disaster," said Bob Pickard, a veteran PR executive at Signal Leadership Communication.

"Tokyo 2020 was supposed to be a global platform for the launch of a new Japan facing an international future with confidence. Instead, what we see here is the legacy of the old Japan's insular attitudes mired in past prejudices and dated stereotypes," he said.

NHK said Abe decided against attending theceremonyafter the Japanese government declared a state of emergency and virus restrictionsoverTokyo. Abe's office could not immediately be reached on Thursday, a public holiday in Japan.

Theopeningceremonyon Friday is set to be a subdued affair, with just 950 people - including only around 15 global leaders - set to attend. Spectators have been barred from most Olympicevents as COVID-19 cases surge in the capital.

First Lady Jill Biden lands in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon for theGames'openingceremony, raising expectations she might also use her attendance to discuss vaccines with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Biden has been travelling across the United States urging more people to get inoculated.

Only a third of Japanese have had at least one dose of the vaccine, fuelling public concerns that theOlympicscould become a super-spreaderevent.

In a recent poll, 68% of respondents expressed doubt about the ability of Olympic organisers to control coronavirus infections, with 55% saying they opposed theGamesgoing ahead.

Already 87 Olympic-related personnel, including athletes, have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing athlete withdrawals and pushing teammates to isolate.

In light of new cases reported in the Olympic village, the US gymnastics team moved into a hotel, a coach said in a Twitter exchange earlier this week.

Olympic organisers referred Reuters questions on the topic to the US team.

Olympicscompetition has already begun, with the Japanese women's softball team getting the hosts off to a winning start on Wednesday.

Between matches in rural Fukushima, which was devastated by the 2011 nuclear disaster, softball players were on the lookout for a brown bear which had been spotted this week.

"I'm kind of disappointed I didn't get to see it," US pitcher Monica Abbott said.