Dolphin Show in Japan Condemned by World Sailing

September 11, 2018

Tokyo- World Sailing has condemned a dolphin show held as part of a sailing World Cup event in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, a spokesman for the world's governing body of the sport said Tuesday.

"World Sailing does not condone displays of this nature," it said in a statement after the dolphin show that took place during the opening ceremony of the World Cup Series Enoshima on Sunday.

During the ceremony held at Enoshima Aquarium, dolphins jumped and splashed in a show that was an embarrassment to some visitors from abroad. "Couldn't be more embarrassed with what I'm witnessing," British Olympic sailor Luke Patience, referring to the show, said on Twitter.

World Sailing said in the statement that it was "disappointed that the World Cup Series Enoshima Organizing Committee included a dolphin display" in the opening ceremony of the event.

All content in opening and closing ceremonies of World Sailing events "must be preapproved by World Sailing and no such approval was given nor sought from the Organizing Committee for the show in Enoshima," it said.

Hirobumi Kawano, chairman of the organizing committee and president of the Japan Sailing Federation, said that while the dolphin show was welcomed by many guests, views vary from country to country and from person to person. "We were not careful enough," he said.

The Enoshima World Cup series is a test event for the sailing competition in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Jiji Press