Tokyo Olympics chief resigns for saying ‘women talk too much’

“I thought how hard it must be for him, and I couldn’t stop crying,” said Mr. Kawabuchi.

News Agency of Nigeria • February 12, 2021

Olympics rings used to tell the story.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief, Yoshiro Mori, is expected to resign on Friday over sexist comments he made early this month, with the mayor of the Olympic village, Saburo Kawabuchi, saying Mr. Mori had asked him to take over.

Kawabuchi said he was in tears before a meeting where he accepted Mr. Mori’s request on Thursday.

“Mr. Mori was straightforward saying, ‘I want you to take over now that this has happened’,” Mr. Kawabuchi, 84, told reporters late on Thursday.

“I thought how hard it must be for him, and I couldn’t stop crying,” said Mr. Kawabuchi.

The 83-year-old Olympics chief, a former Japanese prime minister, sparked a global outcry with sexist comments that women talk too much, which he made during an Olympic committee meeting.

Mr. Mori apologised for his comments but has not resigned despite growing calls for him to step down.

His resignation less than six months before the Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin is likely to raise new doubts over the viability of holding the postponed Games this year.

Games officials are already struggling with how to hold a safe Olympics, with tens of thousands of athletes and possibly spectators, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Kawabuchi, who represented Japan in football at the 1964 Olympics and is a former Japan Football Association president, said he wanted Mr. Mori to play a consulting role to help make the event a success.

The choice of Kawabuchi prompted questions on social media about whether there was no better alternative than an older, male figure.

Later on Friday, the Tokyo Olympics organising committee, which has not officially commented on Mr. Mori’s resignation, plans to hold a council and executive board meeting, followed by a press conference.

Mr. Mori would explain his position at Friday’s meeting, Japanese Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto told parliament.

Mr. Hashimoto said the government would continue to work with other parties including the International Olympic Committee, to prepare for the event based on Olympic principles.

(Reuters/NAN)