IOC’s Bach refers to Japanese as ‘Chinese’

TOKYO (AP):

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach referred to his Japanese hosts as Chinese when he appeared in public yesterday for the first time since arriving in Tokyo last week.

Giving a pep talk at the headquarters of the Tokyo Olympics organising committee, Bach’s opening remarks were: “You have managed to make Tokyo the best-ever prepared city for the Olympic Games. This is even more remarkable under the difficult circumstances we all have to face.”

Bach tripped over his words, referring to the “Chinese people” rather than “Japanese people”.

“Our common target is a safe and secure Games for everybody; for the athletes, for all the delegations, and most importantly, also for the Chinese people – Japanese people,” Bach said, catching his mistake quickly.

Bach’s comments in the briefing were interpreted from English to Japanese, but the slip was not included in the interpretations. Still, the Japanese media quickly reported it and there was backlash on social media.

He ended his speech with a Japanese phrase “Gambari mashou”, which translates as “Let’s do our best”.

Bach spent his first three days in isolation at the IOC’s five-star hotel in central Tokyo and his movements are limited – like almost everyone entering for the Olympics – for the first 14 days.

Bach’s visit yesterday coincided with the official opening of the Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay. Organisers did not offer an immediate count of how many athletes were on hand.

Bach is scheduled to visit Hiroshima on Friday in an effort to tie the Olympics to the city’s effort to promote world peace. IOC Vice-President John Coates is to visit Nagasaki the same day.

Japan’s Kyodo News has reported that a group in Hiroshima is opposing Bach’s visit.

A small group of protesters gathered on Saturday outside Bach’s hotel, carrying placards that said he was unwelcome in Tokyo.

Organisers have been criticised for pressing ahead with the Olympics during the pandemic amid polls that show – depending on how the question is phrased – that 50-80 per cent of the public oppose the Olympics taking place.

Also yesterday, police in Tokyo said a group of four United States and British men working for a power company contracted to the Olympics were arrested on suspicion of using cocaine.

Aggreko Events Services Japan confirmed it employed the suspects and apologised for the trouble. NHK public television reported the four suspects entered Japan from February to May and were staying in Tokyo.