A woke Olympics risks revelling in mediocrity
The IOC want to place inclusivity alongside celebrating sporting best, yet these two values are often fundamentally incompatible
Not even a drone display, spectacular as it was, could save the Olympic opening ceremony. The fireworks that lit up the Tokyo skyline only highlighted the emptiness of the stadium below. Already delayed by a year, Covid has put paid to the Olympic spirit when we need it more than ever.
But Covid has an ally. Last week’s ceremony was threatened by another virus: woke politics and its faithful companion, cancel culture. The start of the games followed a series of gaffes and high-profile sackings.
Show director Kentaro Kobayashi was dismissed just one day before the event after a comedy routine he performed two decades earlier came to light. In the sketch, Kobayashi and his partner pretend to be children’s entertainers and, referring to some paper dolls, say: “let's play the Holocaust.” I guess you had to be there.
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