FUJISAWA, Kanagawa -- Hirobumi Kawano, president of the Japan Sailing Federation, apologized Tuesday for holding a dolphin show as part of the opening ceremony at international sailing event.
The World Cup Series Enoshima sailing event, now under way, began Sunday in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, with the Enoshima Yacht Harbor as the hub of the event. The event is also meant to be a test event prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The opening ceremony was held on Sunday at the Enoshima Aquarium near the harbor, during which the dolphin show was held as an attraction.
Some athletes from other countries criticized the show. And World Sailing, an international organization supervising the sailing event, issued a statement saying that it had not heard about the program of the opening ceremony in advance from the event organizer and did not approve it.
Behind the move are the expansion of activities for protecting dolphins overseas.
Kawano said on Tuesday: "[Views on] the treatment of dolphins differ among nations and individuals. We lacked consideration on this matter. I apologize to people who felt uncomfortable."
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