Bach draws ire in Japan over long opening ceremony speech
TOKYO: For a Games billed as the most inclusive and diverse on record, one element of Friday’s opening ceremony stood out for many Japanese: Olympic boss Thomas Bach spoke for 13 minutes, about twice as long as his Japanese female host, Seiko Hashimoto.
Bach’s speech, which drew on familiar themes of peace, solidarity and gratitude for overcoming the coronavirus hardships, immediately drew ire on Twiter and in traditional Japanese media.
“From tomorrow, we’ll give Bach the nickname ‘the guy who gives long speeches’,” said user @ Riko_murai in a tweet reposted 7,730 times and liked by more than 20,000 people.
User @Satoharuhiko said, “The length of the speeches: Seiko Hashimoto - 6.5 minutes; Bach - 13 minutes; the Emperor - 13 seconds.” The post was retweeted close to 9,000 times.
The reaction underscored the groundswell of opposition from the coronavirus-fatigued Japanese to the Olympics amid concerns in the largely unvaccinated nation that the Games could become a super-spreader event.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Bach, both masked, clapped the athletes ater bowing to each other before siting down socially distanced.
The head of the International Olympic Commitee (IOC) addressed the athletes in front of a nearly empty stadium, in an opening shorn of glitz and overshadowed by the pandemic.
The ceremony was marked by high-profile absences, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wooed the Games to Tokyo. Top sponsors also stayed away, highlighting strong opposition to the event in Covid-fatigued Japan.
Hundreds of protesters carrying placards that read “Lives over Olympics” protested around the venue yelling “Stop the Olympics”.
The IOC and the Tokyo 2020 organisers did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
On Monday, Bach was criticised for atending a swanky welcome party with nearly 40 guests at a time when Tokyo is enduring another state of emergency. Restaurants close at 8 p.m. and are requested not to serve alcohol to discourage large gatherings.
Later in the week, his right-hand man at the IOC, John Coates, drew allegations of misogyny when he told the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in an awkward exchange that she needed to atend the opening ceremony.
Still, the event made important gestures towards diversity. Most countries were represented by male and female flagbearers in an Olympic first, and the oath for the first time highlighted inclusion, non-discrimination and equality.
The Olympics have been hit by a string of scandals, including the exit of senior officials over derogatory comments about women, jokes about the Holocaust and bullying.
Only a third of the host nation have had even one dose of vaccines, prompting worries the Games could become a super-spreader event.
Postponed for a year, organisers were forced to take the unprecedented step of holding the Olympics without fans as the novel coronavirus is on the rise again, taking lives around the world.
The opening recapped Japan’s path to the Games and the challenges the world has faced since the selection of the Japanese capital as host in 2013.