tokyo – The Philadelphia Observer

An Alleged Sexual Predator Gets to Compete at the Olympics While Sha’Carri Richardson Is Stuck Watching From Home. Make It Make Sense

Juan Ignacio — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:19:54 +0000

If there was ever a time that I wish I didn’t have complimentary courtside seats to white male privilege, it was on Saturday when Buzzfeed introduced me to a guy named Alen Hadzic.

Hadzic, an Olympic fencer, should be living his best life after securing a spot as an alternate on the US Olympic team. But according to Buzzfeed News, well…

Six women fencers, including two Olympic athletes, wrote to the Olympic committee that Hadzic should not be allowed to represent the US because he was under investigation for at least three accusations of sexual misconduct reported to the US Center for SafeSport, the nonprofit agency responsible for protecting athletes from abuse. His presence at the Games, they said, was a “direct affront” to fellow athletes and put them at risk.

It gets worse from there. John Oliver’s Plea for Reparations for Black Americans Goes Viral (Watch)

As a result of his alleged behavior, in June, Hadzic was suspended from participating in international competition. He then successfully appealed his suspension through an arbitration process that clearly has glaring flaws, and is now somehow allowed to compete in Tokyo—much to his own teammates’ chagrin.

Acknowledging the severity of the allegations facing Hadzic, USA Fencing, the athletic federation in charge of selecting the country’s Olympic competitors, created a “safety plan” to keep him away from women and out of the Olympic Village: He flew in on a separate plane from his teammates, is staying at a hotel 30 minutes away from the other athletes, and won’t be allowed to practice alongside women teammates. After he appealed those conditions, the entire roster of Team USA fencers signed a letter demanding the restriction stay in place.
“We are pissed off that this is even a thing we had to deal with,” an Olympic fencer who filed a complaint against Hadzic alleging predatory behavior told BuzzFeed News from Tokyo. “He’s been protected again and again.”

Source: An Alleged Sexual Predator Gets to Compete at the Olympics While Sha’Carri Richardson Is Stuck Watching From Home. Make It Make Sense

Japan and China both claim these islands. Now the US is showing Tokyo how it can help defend them

Juan Ignacio — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 13:41:53 +0000

Hong Kong (CNN)Tens of thousands of US and Japanese troops will begin a massive island-landing exercise in the Pacific this week as part of joint military operations seen as a warning to China that Washington backs Tokyo over Beijing’s claim to Japanese-controlled islands.

Speaking aboard a Japanese warship Monday, Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider, commander of US Forces Japan, said the exercises would demonstrate the ability of the US-Japan alliance “to deliver combat troops to defend the Senkakus or respond to other crises or contingencies.”

New Public Art Everywhere This October

Both Tokyo and Beijing claim the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyus in China, as their own, but Japan has administered them since 1972.

Tensions over the uninhabited rocky chain, 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo, have simmered for years, and with claims over them dating back centuries, neither Japan nor China is likely to back down.

Chinese vessels have been spending record amounts of time in the waters around the islands this year, drawing condemnation from Tokyo.

The US-Japan exercises, named Keen Sword 21, have been held biennially for more than 30 years. This year’s exercises run through to November 5.

Source: Japan and China both claim these islands. Now the US is showing Tokyo how it can help defend them