The boss of the Olympics in Japan next summer will leave his post.
The chairman of the organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Yoshiro Mori, is about to resign after the outcry sparked in Japan and abroad by his sexist comments made last week, Japanese media reported on Thursday.
Several mainstream Japanese media, citing sources familiar with the matter, claimed that Yoshiro Mori, 83, had informed officials of his willingness to step down and announced it during a meeting of Tokyo 2020 organizers on Friday.
The press service of the Olympics was not immediately available to comment on this information.
Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister known for his verbal slippages, said last week that women have difficulty speaking in a concise manner, which is "annoying."
He awkwardly apologized the next day, while initially ruling out resigning.
Criticized by sponsors
An avalanche of criticism had followed.
Even sponsors of the Olympics, usually discreet, have stepped up in recent days, such as the automotive giant Toyota, also claiming that Mr. Mori's remarks were contrary to the Olympic spirit and the values they support.
At first, after Mr. Mori's apologies, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) judged the case closed.
Then, he said Tuesday that his words were "completely inappropriate", while the reactions were more and more sharp.
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This scandal is a new thorn in the side of the organizers of Tokyo-2020, who were already struggling to rekindle enthusiasm for the Games (23 July-8 August 2021), postponed last year because of the pandemic, while the global health context remains worrying.
Athletes like the Japanese star of women's tennis Naomi Osaka, volunteers of the Olympic Games, elected representatives of the parliamentary opposition in Japan or even members of the staff of embassies in Tokyo all protested in various ways in recent days after the affair. Mori.
Tokyo Mayor Yuriko Koike also stepped up the pressure on Wednesday by announcing that she was not planning to attend a meeting of all Olympic stakeholders scheduled for later this month.
An online petition to denounce his words
Launched a week ago, an online petition urging those in charge of the Olympic Games not to stand idly by exceeded 146,000 signatures on Thursday.
Tokyo 2020 organizers are scheduled to meet on Friday to "express their views on Mr. Mori's remarks" and discuss their "future initiatives" on gender equality, according to a statement released Wednesday.
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According to Japanese television channels TBS and NTV, former soccer player Saburo Kawabuchi, 84, could be appointed in place of Mr Mori.
Mr. Kawabuchi played a key role in the 1990s in developing professional football and popularizing the sport in Japan.
He also currently holds the symbolic function of mayor of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Village.
