Twitter is absolutely roasting TF out of Channel 7’s cringeworthy commentary of the Opening Ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, which seemed to include mentions of casual racism, human rights abuses, and colonisation, and the bare minimum levels of Wikipedia research. Let’s get into it.
Last night, Channel 7’s Opening Ceremony coverage was hosted by sports broadcaster Bruce McAvaney, Better Homes and Gardens host Johanna Griggs, Aussie sports presenter Hamish McLachlan, and unproblematic fave, Insight host, and Japanese-Australian Kumi Taguchi. But, contrary to them recruiting an actual Japanese person for the program, the four-hour event was dominated by Bruce and Johanna’s absolutely cooked and casually racist comments of countries besides our own.
As GetUp’s Alex McKinnon put it best early into the night: “God save the Channel 7 commentary team tasked with speaking about a non-white culture for hours.” God save, indeed.
https://twitter.com/mckinnon_a/status/1418533646223347713
When the Palestinian team entered the stadium, the commentators said: “these are a people who have known many troubled times.”
Gee, Channel 7, you think? Even with Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitting that he and the Federal Government were partially at fault for our botched vaccine rollout, this is still the understatement of the year. Coincidentally, when the Israeli team walked on, Johanna made reference to “Iraq-related wars.”
https://twitter.com/CaseyBriggs/status/1418557896606978053
https://twitter.com/hutchian/status/1418540427934801923
https://twitter.com/mckinnon_a/status/1418558474116419588
Channel 7 delightfully reminiscing about the 72 Olympics as the Israeli team enter. I mean, really?! #channel7 #OpeningCeremony #Olympics
— Mark Smithers (@marksmithers) July 23, 2021
I usually have no gripes about Johanna Griggs but by golly has she been shocking tonight #Channel7
— Callum #Whatever (@Bombers83) July 23, 2021
This commentary is woeful #OlympicOpeningCeremony #channel7
— Steven McLachlan (@SJMcLachlan) July 23, 2021
Channel 7 commentary have clearly found a low brow version of Wikipedia to read their comments from as the teams arrive. #channel7 #OpeningCeremony
— Mark Smithers (@marksmithers) July 23, 2021
When it came to the UAE team, Channel 7’s prestigious sports reporters said that the country has “lots of tall buildings and camels that run fast.”
I—You don’t even need Google for that one, folks.
Sorry was the Ch 7 commentary on the UAE team just then that they have “lots of tall buildings and camels that run fast”? Cool cool cool#Tokyo2020 #Olympics #OpeningCeremony
— Ellie Grounds (@elliegrounds) July 23, 2021
In true embarrassingly White Australian fashion, when the Indonesian team entered the stadium, Channel 7’s commentators made an allusion to Australia’s weird obsession with Bali, instead of anything remotely important about the country or, IDK, the team of athletes competing?
“A lot of Australians have a great love affair for Indonesia, particularly Bali,” they said, per Twitter user Mark Gottlieb.
‘A lot of Australians have a great love affair for Indonesia. Particularly Bali’ is interesting commentary #OpeningCeremony #Olympics
— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) July 23, 2021
When Team Virgin Islands came on, the Aussie commentators seemingly joked that the United States buying the country from Denmark was “a pretty good buy.” It’s the casual racism and positive spin on colonialism for me.
Australian commentators calling the US purchase of the virgin islands from Denmark “a pretty good buy“ is a bit cringe y’all ever heard of colonisation #Toyko2020
— ghostfacekila (@hallekila) July 23, 2021
Oh and let’s take a moment to take in this absurd exchange about Tajikstanian athlete Dilshod Nazarov:
https://twitter.com/CaseyBriggs/status/1418553180342816771
During the Chinese team’s appearance, Johanna and Bruce also brought up how the country has been banned from competing in Olympic swimming.
“China is no longer such a powerhouse in swimming,” said one of them.
“There’s a reason for that,” added the other.
https://twitter.com/khloe0106/status/1418564577919307789
Others on Twitter claim that the Better Homes & Gardens host called the African teams’ uniforms “costumes.” Hugely problematic if true.
Why are African teams uniforms referred to as costumes Johanna? #channel7
— thegremlin (@thegremlin10) July 23, 2021
Keep reading for the best Twitter reactions to Channel 7’s cooked commentary of the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games we could find.
Ch 7 commentary team needs a serious injection of something. Reality. Intelligence. Enthusiasm. I don’t know. Something. #olympics
— Jess Lilley 💾 (@lilleyjuice) July 23, 2021
https://twitter.com/itshannahcpeake/status/1418543568382136331
I haven’t been watching the Olympic ceremony but the tweets about the Johanna Griggs commentary are hilarious#Channel7
— 👀 A Head with Two Eyes (@TwoEyeHead) July 23, 2021
Ch 7 commentary team needs a serious injection of something. Reality. Intelligence. Enthusiasm. I don’t know. Something. #olympics
— Jess Lilley 💾 (@lilleyjuice) July 23, 2021
My favourite bit was the flag ceremony with the kids because as the Channel 7 callers so aptly pointed out with trembling voices, the children are the future which is a deep insight I have never considered before
— STEMLORD mastodon.social/upulie (@upulie) July 23, 2021
Real missed opportunity to not get the Iron Chef commentators to call the Olympics tbh
— corgi (@courtwhip) July 23, 2021
https://twitter.com/TheAviator1992/status/1418569020832288771
Thanks @Channel7 for reminding me that Laos is the only landlocked country in SE Asia instead of telling me literally anything about their Olympic team #OpeningCeremony
— alice (@alice_exclaims) July 23, 2021
Classic @Channel7 casual racism at the @Olympics opening ceremony. So on point.
— Mr Mister Jan (@Disco_box) July 23, 2021
Channel 7 commentary team dropping facts about each nation like a year 6 armed with glue, an encyclopaedia and a shitload of cardboard #Olympics
— Cameron Williams (@MrCamW) July 23, 2021
Oh godddddddd why the fuck is channel 7 commentating the #Olympics . My fave line so far “ history repeating itself.. but this time.. different”
— papaya (@poptaysuh) July 23, 2021
How cool is it being an Olympic athlete to hear this orchestral video game music and not hear the channel 7 commentary?
— Ayden Cutajar (@AydenCutajar) July 23, 2021
It’s so beautiful to hear Kumi Taguchi translating on television. A travesty she’s not even listed as a ‘commentator’ on the Channel 7 website. What a disgrace!!! #OpeningCeremony
— @robcoco@aus.social (@RobCoco) July 23, 2021
Odd that Kumi was only able to speak for 30 seconds @Channel7 . Odd beyond belief, and the only intelligent person there #OlympicGames #OpeningCeremony
— Kathy Franco (@tweet_frankie) July 23, 2021
Not sure why channel 7 thought it’s funny that some athletes come from small countries and have got a few or no medals. It is quite off putting to see them put people down. #OpeningCeremony #Channel7 #Tokyo2020 #olympics
— Sharlene Kuruppuarachchi (@SharleneMelb) July 23, 2021
Look, the only explanation to all this that makes somewhat sense is that either Channel 7’s commentators were absolutely on something last night, or they were hastily Googling the countries as they entered the arena. But, after a now-deleted racist social media post about England’s Black football players and claims they tried to get actual racist goblin Katie Hopkins for this year’s Big Brother VIP, it reallyyy doesn’t paint an inclusive picture for the media network.
As host of ABC’s China, If You’re Listening, Matt Bevan joked: “Now look folks, it’s not fair to criticise the Channel 7 commentators for their coverage of the athletes parade. They only have four years to prepare and also it’s the same countries as last time, so they have no choice but to adlib with Wikipedia open on their phone.
“It’s unfortunate that there’s no possible way of finding out any facts about Kyrgyzstan until the team are physically in front of you, but that’s just the way it is.”
Now look folks we it’s not fair to criticise the Channel 7 commentators for their coverage of the athletes parade. They only have four years to prepare and also it’s the same countries as last time, so they have no choice but to adlib with Wikipedia open on their phone. #olympics
— Matt Bevan (@MatthewBevan) July 23, 2021
Anyway, the takeaway of this story: if you’re going to offer live commentary on an international event featured basically every country under the sun, maybe do your research. Y’know, beyond the opening paragraph of Wikipedia pages.
