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TOKYO: The creative director of the Tokyo Olympics opening and closing ceremonies announced his resignation on Thursday (March 18) for proposing that a plus-size comedian appear as a pig.
Hiroshi Sasaki resigned after a report on Wednesday revealed his suggestion about Naomi Watanabe, a very popular celebrity, for the opening ceremony.
It’s the latest headache for Games organizers, who are struggling to win public support and were stunned by the resignation of former boss Yoshiri Mori after an uproar over sexist comments last month.
In a statement issued Thursday morning, Sasaki apologized to Watanabe and said he understood that his proposal had been inappropriate.
“My idea would be a great insult to Ms. Naomi Watanabe. This cannot be retracted,” he said.
“I am sorry for this from the bottom of my heart, and I deeply apologize to her and everyone who felt uncomfortable about this.”
Sasaki said he had spoken with the head of the Tokyo Olympics, Seiko Hashimoto, who replaced Mori last month, to inform her that he would be leaving office.
The scandal erupted Wednesday night, when a local magazine reported that Sasaki suggested to colleagues last year that Watanabe might appear at the opening ceremony as an “Olympig,” with pig ears.
The proposal, made in a group chat, was immediately rejected by Sasaki’s classmates, who told him it was inappropriate.
Naomi Watanabe is a very popular celebrity in Japan AFP / Alberto E. Rodríguez
READ: Comment: Sexist comments from Japanese officials may be the last straw for the unpopular Tokyo Olympics
LAST OLYMPIC SCANDAL
Sasaki was initially appointed to take over the opening and closing ceremonies for the Paralympic Games, but became creative director for the Olympic Extravagances in December.
Watanabe is a celebrated celebrity in Japan and is known to international fans in part thanks to an appearance on the celebrated makeover show “Queer Eye.”
The comedian and model, who leads campaigns for products from clothing to skincare, has more than nine million followers on Instagram.
He is one of the few prominent plus-size figures among Japanese celebrities and has faced insults in the past. She has yet to comment on the last row.
There was also no immediate comment from the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, though Hashimoto is expected to address the issue at a press conference on Thursday.
READ: Tokyo 2020 President Mori to resign over sexist comments: Media
The dispute comes at a sensitive time for the Games, after the firestorm that erupted when former Tokyo 2020 chief Mori said women talk too much at meetings.
Mori eventually resigned, with former Olympic minister Hashimoto named his successor, but the scandal was hugely damaging to organizers, who have now moved to improve the gender balance on their board.
It was the latest in a series of public relations setbacks for the Olympics, including a plagiarism dispute over the original Games logo and public anger over a $ 2 billion design for the main stadium, which was later downgraded. .
In 2019, the head of the Japan Olympics committee, Tsunekazu Takeda, resigned after French magistrates accused him of investigating $ 2.3 million in payments made before and after Tokyo obtained the hosting rights.
Organizers face public skepticism about hosting the Games this year and must make a key decision on whether to allow foreign fans to attend.
They are expected to announce next week that overseas viewers will be banned, with limits for domestic fans yet to be decided.
The organizers insist that the Games can still go ahead and have published a series of rules that they say will guarantee the safety of viruses.
The Olympic torch relay will begin on March 25, although spectators cannot participate in the launch ceremony or the first leg, and those lining the route elsewhere are prohibited from shouting and crowding, and must wear masks.
