Tokyo 2020 Olympics president expected to resign: Here's why
Tokyo 2020 Olympics president Yoshiro Mori is set to step down after he made sexist remarks about women. The remarks were leaked to Japanese media last week. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported Thursday, citing sources. Notably, Mori's comments caused an international uproar less than six months before the Games are due to open. Here are further details on the same.
What did Mori say at the meeting?
The report states that Mori made the comments during the Olympics board of trustees meeting last week. He said that "board meetings with lots of women take longer" because "women are competitive -- if one member raises their hand to speak, others might think they need to talk too," according to reports in the Japanese press.
Mori made this derogatory comment as well
He also made another set of derogatory comments. "If you want to increase female membership, you would be in trouble unless you put time limits in place," he added. However, speaking at a news conference the next day, the 83-year-old former Japanese Prime Minister confirmed he made the remarks behind closed doors. He apologized for the same.
Mori expected to resign on Friday
Mori told Nippon TV that he would explain his situation. "I must apologise again for this matter," he said. This happened shortly after reports emerged that he would resign. "I can't let this problem carry on any longer." He is expected to announce his resignation on Friday when the executive board of the organizing committee meets to discuss its response to the controversy.
Saburo Kawabuchi could replace Mori
The Kyodo news agency cited sources claiming the organizing committee has planned to replace Mori with Saburo Kawabuchi. The 84-year-old was a former head of the Japan Football Association. Notably, Kawabuchi played football for Japan at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was also instrumental in launching the J-League - Japan's professional football league - in 1993.
Japan struggling to cope with COVID-19 amid the Olympics
The Olympic Organizing Committee must now find a new leader as the Games will open on July 23 in a country struggling to cope with rising coronavirus case numbers. The 2020 Olympics and Paralympics were delayed last year due to the novel coronavirus, and experts have said it may not be possible to postpone the event again.
