Kentaro Kobayashi’s dismissal came after an old video of him making jokes about the Holocaust emerged.
Kentaro Kobayashi, the director of the Tokyo Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies, was dismissed from his role on Thursday after an old clip of the comedian making jokes about the Holocaust emerged online, in what is a major blow to the event on the eve of the opening ceremony.Key Facts
The recorded skit showed Kobayashi—who made his name as part of a popular comedy duo—joking about the Holocaust by playing a “let’s massacre Jewish people game.” Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the Olympics organizing committee, said she and other members of the committee plan to “review the entire program” on Thursday—just a day it is scheduled to take place.
Hashimoto said she learned about the video on Tuesday and expressed regret for taking so long to fire Kobayashi.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tokyo 2020: US Women's National Team hammered by Sweden in opening Olympics matchSweden laid down an early marker in the women's Olympic football competition, hammering the US Women's National Team 3-0 on Wednesday.
Read more »
U.S. volleyball Olympian tests positive for Covid at Tokyo OlympicsWord of Crabb’s diagnosis came as the competition in the Olympics got underway ahead of Friday's official opening.
Read more »
Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez chosen as Team USA flag bearers for Tokyo OlympicsBird, 40, has won four gold medals dating back to 2004. Alvarez, 31, has played with the Miami Marlins and won a silver medal in speedskating at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Read more »
Tokyo Olympics highlight strides in gender equality – and remaining hurdlesAt the first modern Olympic Games, held in 1896 in Athens, there wasn't a single female competitor. When the 2020 Games kick off in Tokyo this month, nearly half of the athletes competing will be women.
Read more »