No place for hatred at sporting events
ALTHOUGH I have been a sportswriter for many years, something happened recently that was quite shocking to me. I am referring to the story of Takuma Sato’s becoming the first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500 car race at the end of May, prompting a reporter for a US newspaper to tweet: “I am very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend.” Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who died while serving in the US military.
The tweet was subject to intense criticism, and the reporter was fired by the newspaper he worked for. I was surprised by the speed of the response, but it also made me think about the explanation he gave when he deleted the tweet and apologized.
While stating “72 years have passed since the end of World War II”, the reporter also said that factors such as his father’s service in the Pacific War against the Japanese, the deaths of his father’s friends in the Battle of Okinawa, and his visit to his father’s grave earlier that weekend all affected his perspective when posting the tweet.
These reasons did not come close to justifying the tweet, and there were newspaper articles in the United States that denounced him, including one in USA Today remarking that the reporter “lost sight of the true history of the Indianapolis 500 . . . The first Indy 500 was in 1911, and the idea was to create a race for the world to come compete in.”
The origins of the Indy 500 aside, I think one of the great things about sports is that it has always been about competition that goes beyond national and ethnic boundaries. However, competition can sometimes also bring out the differences and animosity between countries and ethnic groups, and may even evoke memories of past wars. Even persons who have no direct experience of war can be affected by such a phenomenon, as it appears happened with the American reporter, who was born in 1955.
I recall having a remarkably similar feeling 13 years ago in August when the 2004 Asian Cup football tournament was held in China. During that event, the Japanese team won a series of hard-fought matches in Chongqing, Jinan and Beijing, and defeated China in the final to become the Asian champion.
However, the tournament was marred by fierce anti-Japanese sentiment on the part of Chinese fans. There was booing and refusal to stand during Japan’s national anthem and Japanese fans were harassed. I am aware that antiJapanese sentiment was high in Chongqing because it was bombed by the Japanese during the war, but even when the venue changed, the reactions of the Chinese fans – most of whom were born after the war – remained the same.
At the time, I thought, “Even when taking into account our past history and the effects of the Chinese government’s anti-Japanese education, how is it possible that even the younger generations have so enthusiastically embraced such intense feelings of hatred?” I also thought, “How long will this hatred last, and how are the generations of Japanese who – like me – have no experience of war to respond?”
Of course, we must not ignore the fact that Japan was the perpetrator of the war or be insensitive to the feelings of the victimised countries. Sadly, it is also undeniable that similar tendencies are also evident among Japanese sports fans who espouse responding to hatred with hatred.
War leads to feelings of animosity on all sides involved. It is important to never forget the misery and damage brought about by war. But this is not the same thing as dredging up and amplifying the negative legacies of war.
The Olympic Games will soon be held in Tokyo for the second time. In three years, athletes and fans will converge on Tokyo from around the world. If we can provide these visitors with a space that is free of extreme nationalism, prejudice and discrimination, where they can perform to the best of their abilities, I believe that this would constitute a “win” for us as Japanese.