IOC, "No Request for Athletes to Observe a Moment of Silence on Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Day"

On the 16th of last month, Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan and laid a wreath in front of the memorial for the victims of the atomic bomb in the Pacific War. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that it will not request athletes or event officials to observe a moment of silence on August 6, the day when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.

According to the Tokyo Shimbun on the 2nd, the Atomic Bomb Victims' Association Council based in Hiroshima requested a recommendation for a moment of silence, but the IOC responded as such, the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee reported yesterday.

However, this policy by the IOC does not mean a refusal to commemorate the victims of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

According to the Tokyo Shimbun, a tribute to the Hiroshima atomic bomb victims is expected to be included in the closing ceremony scheduled for the 8th.

According to the IOC, since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil, programs reflecting on historically tragic events or people who lost their lives for various reasons have been incorporated into the closing ceremonies.

Meanwhile, the Hiroshima atomic bomb victims' association opposed this decision by the IOC.

Mimasa Toshiyuki, acting chairman of the Hiroshima Prefecture Atomic Bomb Victims' Association Council, responded, "We wanted a little time. What was Thomas Bach, IOC President, visiting Hiroshima for? I feel betrayed."