This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Japan Sailing Federation has apologised after a dolphin show was held for sailors competing in the World Cup Series, an event that also doubles as a test run for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The competition, organised by a local committee in Enoshima, south of Tokyo, was intended to give the Games’ organisers an opportunity to gauge their level of readiness and to allow competitors to familiarise themselves with the course.

But the opening ceremony ended in embarrassment after competitors were taken to the dolphin display, prompting criticism from British sailor Luke Patience.

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“Couldn’t be more embarrassed with what I’m witnessing. We are sailors, and apparently a ‘green’ sport,” Patience tweeted, along with the hash tag #sorrynature.

In a follow-up post, Patience wrote: “Apologies for the language, and any offence I caused last night. I was shocked when world sailing took us to a dolphin aquarium for an opening ceremony. As a sport, I hope we can show more morality than this.”

World Sailing said it was “disappointed” the opening event had included live dolphins, adding that the organisers had not sought its approval for the show.

The governing body, whose remit includes protecting marine life, said in a statement it “does not condone displays of this nature and apologises for the misjudgment and any offence caused”.

It added: “As part of World Sailing’s sustainability agenda 2030, there are specific targets linked to marine life. One of which is to mitigate negative impacts sailing can have on marine cetaceans by 2020 by producing guidance, as necessary, which will be provided to our event partners to ensure this does not happen again.”

Hirobumi Kawano, the head of the Japan Sailing Federation, conceded the decision to include the dolphins showed a “lack of consideration” in light of global attempts to protect cetaceans.

But he added that attitudes towards the treatment of dolphins “differ among countries and individuals. We’d like to apologise if we made someone feel uncomfortable.”

Japan has attracted widespread criticism over annual dolphin hunts in the Pacific town of Taiji, where the mammals are killed for their meat or selected for sale to aquariums and sea parks.

In 2015, the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums agreed to stop buying dolphins from Taiji after it was threatened with expulsion from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The aquarium in Enoshima, however, was one of two facilities that withdrew from the association, saying it wanted to continue its involvement in Taiji’s dolphin breeding programme.

It said last year it had no plans to buy animals from the town, according to Kyodo news.

Japan’s record on animal rights was criticised again last month after a dolphin, dozens of penguins and hundreds of fish were found to have been abandoned for months in a derelict aquarium.