TOKYO OLYMPICS CHIEF MORI QUITS OVER SEXIST COMMENT

Fri 12 February 2021:

Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned over sexist comments made at a meeting, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday.

Mori, who has led the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee since 2014, drew widespread criticism after saying that “women talk too much” in a meeting of the committee more than a week ago.

“As of today I will resign from the president’s position,” Yoshiro Mori said to open a meeting of the Olympic Committee’s executive board and council.

It was unclear who would succeed him.

After a wave of criticism, Mori, 83, apologized and retracted his remarks, acknowledging they were inappropriate and against the Olympic spirit.

The International Olympic Committee said in a statement Tuesday that Mori’s comments were “absolutely inappropriate,” but it seemed he had escaped further sanction until reports that he would step down first broke early Thursday.

He apologized again Friday as he announced he was stepping down. “My inappropriate comments caused big trouble. I am sorry,” he said.

Initially scheduled for last July, the Tokyo Olympics were among a host of sporting events postponed worldwide because of the coronavirus pandemic.

They are due to be held this year in Tokyo from July 23 to Aug. 8, followed by the Paralympics from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.

Although Japan has not suffered virus outbreaks on the scale of other major economies, such as the United States and Britain, it recently extended its state of emergency in Tokyo and other regions by another month.