Watch: Kelly Slater’s “huge concern” about Tokyo Olympics’ radiation risk, “Cancer rates in the country have skyrocketed and they’re not telling anyone!”

"It's a reality… and that's from friends of mine who live there and/or have moved out of the country because of it…"

Early last week, I enjoyed a breakfast with a movie industry heavyweight in the sitting room of a hotel in which Lonzo Ball had once stayed.

There were cigarettes on one table, flowers on another and a waiter serving strong and hot coffee. I felt like a young woman in the grip of a seducer who would reveal, shortly, the marvels of sex.

Instead, among other things, would I write a movie script etc, he told me of a meeting with Kelly Slater in which Kelly’s handler had advised that if he wanted to pique his interest, he should bring up conspiracy theories.

We laughed etc.

And it reminded me that sitting in my email box was a press release pointing me at Kelly’s interview with the sports reporter and wrestler Graham Bensinger where Kelly talks of the Japanese hiding “skyrocketing” cancer rates from its people.

True or no, it makes for exciting reading.

Watch or read excerpts below.

Slater discusses the environmental and ethical concerns facing Japan ahead of Tokyo 2020:

BENSINGER: What challenges do you think Japan has between now and the games in getting ready for surfing?
SLATER: Figuring out their radiation problem. That’s one. And making sure we got enough waves to surf. I don’t know. They probably don’t want me talking about that…But it’s a reality, and it’s actually not a laughing matter. The cancer rates in the country have skyrocketed. And they’re not telling people about that. And that’s from friends of mine who live there and/or have moved out of the country because of it.

BENSINGER: How concerned does that make you?
SLATER: I think it’s a huge concern. And for a surfer the Taiji Cove where they round up the dolphins and either kill them or sell them to amusement parks is another issue. So there’s a few things that I think won’t be sort of politically correct that are spoken about during the games and I think rightfully so, but that, you know, that brings up bigger topics around the world, around nuclear power, and captive animals, and the fact that we kill and eat so many animals around the world, and it’s something that we all need to be aware of and do something about I think.