TOKYO (JAPAN) – Japanese Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto, a woman who has participated in seven Olympic Games, as part of competitions, plans to accept the job of head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, as reported by Kyodo news agency on Thursday, after the previous leader stepped down due to sexist remarks.
NHK public television later said Hashimoto had expressed her willingness to accept, however, did not give further details.
During the start of a Tokyo 2020 board meeting on Thursday, Vice President Toshiaki Endo said Mori’s remarks had been inappropriate and a new president should be chosen at the earliest.
Endo said, “With only five months to go, his resignation inflicted indescribable damage to the preparation process for the Olympic Games,”
“I hope that we can form a consensus on a good candidate to become the next president at this meeting.”
Tamayo Marukawa, 50, a former television announcer, will be taking the place of Hashimoto as Olympics minister. He was elected to the upper house of parliament in 2007 and had earlier served as Olympics minister for about a year, the Mainichi daily said.
The Games are likely to begin on July 23 in spite of recurrent opinion poll, which had most citizens opposing the idea of holding them this year because of the pandemic.