Yoshiro Mori, the chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Games organizing committee, announced his resignation on Friday, February 12, 2021 after an outcry over sexist comments he made last week. “My inappropriate statements have caused a lot of trouble,” said Yoshiro Mori, 83, at a Tokyo 2020 executive board meeting. “What’s important is to organize the Games in July. My presence must not become an obstacle ”to this objective, said this former Prime Minister of Japan (2000-2001).
Yoshiro Mori had said last week that women had difficulty speaking concisely in meetings, which he found “annoying.” He awkwardly apologized the next day, while initially ruling out resigning. But a deluge of criticism followed in Japan and abroad. Sportsmen, politicians and sponsors of the Olympic Games had notably stepped up to the plate, denouncing remarks contrary to gender equality and the values of Olympism. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also ended up judging Tuesday that the words of Yoshiro Mori had been “completely inappropriate”, after having initially considered that the case was closed in view of his apologies.
Adversity
Yoshiro Mori had suggested Thursday that Saburo Kawabuchi, former Japanese football boss, succeed him. But the proposal, made outside of a formal nomination process, has made people cringe, 84-year-old Saburo Kawabuchi being even older than Yoshiro Mori. Saburo Kawabuchi initially said he was ready to take over, but according to Japanese media on Friday, he changed his mind in the face of criticism and reluctance from the government on his appointment.
The Mori affair is a new thorn in the side of the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics, who were already struggling to rekindle enthusiasm for the event (23 July-8 August 2021), postponed last year because of the pandemic, while the global health context remains worrying.
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