Tokyo Olympics boss apologizes after sexist comments

The Tokyo Olympics are definitely surrounded by bad signs. After the postponement of one year because of the pandemic, their cost, after speculations on their outright cancellation, the time has come for the controversy of another time. The chairman of the organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Yoshiro Mori, is in the hot seat for sexist comments he made on Wednesday.

At the opening of a meeting of the Council of the Olympic Committee, open to the press, the former Prime Minister of Japan (2000-2001), aged 81, wanted to express a “private opinion and complained that” boards with a lot of women take a lot of time ”, because they find it“ difficult to finish ”their interventions. “Women are competitive. If one raises their hand (to intervene, Editor’s note), others believe that they should speak out too. That’s why everyone ends up talking, ”he had developed during a meeting with the Japanese Olympic committee which was open to the press. Unlike these interminable boards of directors, the women members of the Tokyo-2020 organizing committee know how to “stay in their place”, he was pleased, adding: “We have about seven women on the organizing committee. , but everyone understands their place ”.

“It was an inappropriate remark”

The Tokyo-2020 board of directors has 25 members, including five women. Laughter sometimes erupted as Mori spoke, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

“It was an inappropriate remark that went against the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic movement,” the old man said Thursday at a press conference. “I apologize deeply,” he said, gray complexion, without considering resigning.

Renho, a parliamentary opposition figure in Japan who is called Renho Murata and only uses his first name in his political career, called Mr. Mori’s comments “shameful”, which she says go against the grain. Olympic values, opposed to any form of discrimination. Former Japanese athletes have also reacted, such as Kaori Yamaguchi, former judoka and member of the Japanese Olympic committee, who considered Mr. Mori’s comments “unfortunate”. Gender equality is supposed to be “a prerequisite for organizing the Tokyo Games,” she added.

Yoshiro Mori is known to have committed many blunders during his tenure as Prime Minister. Earlier this week, he sparked another controversy by asserting loud and clear that the Tokyo Olympics would be held this summer “whatever happens” on the epidemic front.

Popular Japanese comedian Atsushi Tamura announced on YouTube on Thursday that he was stepping down from the Olympic torch relay after Mr. Mori’s peremptory comments about the Games. He deemed them “incomprehensible” in view of the pandemic, which is also affecting Japan.