Japan Removes 2020 Tokyo Olympics Logo

October 26, 2015

Unlocking Word Meanings
 今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. allegation / ˌæl ɪˈgeɪ ʃən / (n.) – a statement saying that someone did something wrong even with little proof
Example: The allegation that the athlete uses illegal drugs is now under investigation.

2. plagiarism / ˈpleɪ dʒəˌrɪz əm / (n.) – the act of using someone else’s work and claiming it as one’s own without permission
Example: He is suspended from school because of plagiarism.

3. stance / stæns / (n.) – a belief or opinion that a person has about an issue
Example: The coach changed his stance when evidence showed that his team cheated.

4. pursue / pərˈsu / (v.) – to go through something
Example:  Ken pursued golf as a hobby.

5. setback / ˈsɛtˌbæk / (n.) – a problem that gets in the way of a plan
Example: The star player’s injury is a setback for the team.  


Article
 ニュース記事

Read the text below.
The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) will be replacing the logo for the 2020 Olympic Games. 

The decision came after allegations of plagiarism were made against the logo’s designer Kenjiro Sano. Previously, the JOC showed support for Sano but reversed their stance after it was revealed that the designer used Internet images for his logo presentation and that his studio committed plagiarism in a previous project. Director General Toshio Muto of the Tokyo Organizing Committee said that cancelling the logo and developing a new one would be the appropriate thing to do.

After the 2020 Olympics logo presentation in July, Belgian designer Olivier Debie [oh-LIV-ee-ey DEB-ee] accused Sano of copying his work. Sano’s design was said to have been copied from a logo designed by Debie for a theater company in Liege [lee-EYZH], Belgium. His studio posted a photo of his and Sano’s logos side-by-side on Facebook to show the similarities between the two. In response, Sano said that he has never been to Belgium, nor has he seen Debie’s logo prior to creating his design. Debie took legal means to prevent the International Olympic Committee from pursuing Sano’s design.

This is not the first setback to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics preparations. Within the same month of the logo scandal, Japan announced that it had modified its initial design for the National Stadium to cut costs. Originally, it was supposed to be used for both the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Olympics. But with the change in plans, construction seems unlikely to be finished by the January 2020 deadline.

Viewpoint Discussion
 ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         What would you do if you were in Kenjiro Sano’s position? Why?
·         What do you think the committee should do to make sure that this problem won’t happen again?

Discussion B

·         If you knew that someone copied another person’s work, what would you do?
·         How can plagiarism be prevented?

October 26, 2015