Tokyo Olympics hit by treble of disappointing news amid Covid fears

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TOKYO – They say bad luck comes in the form of triples, and for the Tokyo Olympics, the unlucky trifecta came on Monday.

First, Toyota Motor Corp., Japan’s largest automaker, announced that it would withdraw its domestic TV ads for the duration of the Games. Then, a teenage girl, a substitute member of the US women’s gymnastics team, tested positive for Covid. Finally, a Japanese musician who composed some songs at the opening ceremony on Friday quit after being criticized for his past history as a bully.

And all this happened when a new poll published by the Asahi Shimbun, one of the largest national daily newspapers, reported that despite the best efforts of local organizers and the International Olympic Committee, much of the Japanese public still opposed the Games.

“There is a mixed public feeling about the Games,” Tokyo Olympics spokeswoman Masa Takaya said, according to the Associated Press.

Jeremy Fox, author of a book on the history of the Olympics, said it’s important to remember that “there has never been a wholly happy Olympiad,” and sometimes contentious debates about human rights, political gestures, or exaggerations dominate the games. spending.

“But this big controversy I think is really unprecedented, and I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an example in history where the citizens of the host country are unhappy,” he said.

Toyota nixes ads

Toyota is not only Japan’s largest automaker, but it is also one of the biggest benefactors of the Tokyo Games and a supplier of thousands of vehicles that athletes and organizers use to get around. But with much of the public opposing the games due to concerns that upcoming athletes and others might spark the pandemic, Toyota has decided to remove the ads it produces for its local audience.

“It has become an Olympics where many things are not understood,” said John Nagata, a spokesman for the auto company, adding that neither Toyota’s president nor other top executives will attend the opening ceremony.

Asked about Toyota’s decision, Takaya said: “I need to stress that these partners and companies have been very supportive of Tokyo 2020. There is passion about holding these games.”

Gymnast, tennis star from Covid

Gymnastics is a prominent Olympic event and members of the United States women’s team are at the forefront of the lottery. So the word that a gymnast tested positive quickly grabbed the headlines.

“We can confirm that an alternate test result on the women’s artistic gymnastics team has tested positive for Covid-19,” the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a brief statement. “In line with local rules and protocols, the athlete has been transferred to a hotel for quarantine.”

Her coach told The Associated Press that the replacement, Kara Ecker, has tested positive for him at a training camp.

Most worrisome, authorities said, another colleague who had been in “close contact” with Ecker was being put “on standby”.

In a separate development, young tennis player Corey “Coco Gauff” announced on Sunday that she had tested positive for Covid, and that she would not compete in the Tokyo Olympics, as she was expected to lead the USA team.

“I am very disappointed to share the news that I have tested positive for COVID and will not be able to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” she wrote on social media. “It has always been my dream to represent the United States at the Olympic Games, and I hope there will be many opportunities for me to do so in the future.”

Composer resigned

Keigo Oyamada, known to his fans as Cornelius, is a rebellious musician nicknamed “Japanese Beck” who has been likened to Brian Wilson, the genius behind the Beach Boys.

In Japan, Oyamada is best known as one of the originators of the kitschy Shibuya-kei sound.

With that kind of resume, Japanese organizers were eager to take advantage of him to contribute to the opening ceremony’s outcome.

But in the 1990s, Aoyamada seemed to be conflicting on the notes when he bragged in several magazine interviews about how he tortured fellow students in elementary and high school. In particular, he described how he made his disabled classmate eat his own feces and masturbate in front of the class.

When news of the interviews broke, he publicly apologized. Tokyo Olympic organizers said they did not know the musician acted like a monster, but initially hoped he would continue to participate in the festivities.

On Monday, Oyamada announced on Twitter that he had “submitted my resignation to the organizing committee.”

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for all comments and suggestions, and will reflect on them for my future actions and thoughts,” he wrote. “I sincerely apologize for this incident.”

Games organizers also released a statement saying Aoyamada’s bullying was “totally unacceptable”.

“In light of his sincere apologies, we have expressed our readiness to allow Mr. Aoyamada to continue his work on preparations in the short time remaining before the opening ceremony,” the statement said. “But we believe that this decision was a mistake and we have decided to accept his resignation,” he added.

NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News, owns the US broadcast rights to the games.

Korki Semaszko and Arata Yamamoto report from Tokyo, and Daniel Arkin from Los Angeles.

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