Tokyo Olympic organizers are planning to meet this week to discuss their response to sexist remarks made by their boss, reports said yesterday, after hundreds of event volunteers quit in the ensuing furor.
Gaffe-prone former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, sparked uproar in Japan and abroad last week when he said that women speak too much in meetings.
He has since apologized but not stepped down, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it considers the matter closed.
Photo: AFP
Despite the condemnation, the 83-year-old remains insulated within the organization he leads, sources say, with officials fearing that his resignation would imperil the Tokyo Olympic Games.
In interviews, Olympic and ruling party officials have said that few are willing to oust the influential Mori, whose deep network of politicians and Olympic officials is key to pulling off a successful Games.
“We had told him beforehand: ‘You can’t say anything about resigning,’” said one source with direct knowledge of the matter, referring to Mori’s encounter with reporters last week.
The source, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Mori still had strong support from Japan’s government and the IOC.
“Nothing good will come from replacing him,” the source said.
However, Japanese media said the Tokyo Olympic Games organizing committee is planning to meet later this week, possibly on Friday, to discuss its response as calls grow for Mori to resign.
Following Mori’s remarks, 390 Olympic and Paralympic volunteers have quit, the committee said, adding that this number includes withdrawals for all reasons.
A total of 80,000 volunteers from Japan and overseas have been recruited for this summer’s Games, which were postponed due to COVID-19.
Two people have pulled out of the torch relay and about 4,000 people made complaint calls to organizers, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The row is the latest headache for organizers already battling public disquiet about the delayed Olympics, with polls showing more than 80 percent of Japanese oppose holding the event this summer.
Mori apologized on Thursday and said he wished to retract his remarks, but then became defensive when questioned, insisting he had heard complaints that women speak at length.
An online campaign calling for action against Mori has attracted more than 140,000 signatures, while tennis superstar Naomi Osaka slammed the comments as “ignorant.”
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato yesterday said that organizers should try and convince volunteers to return.
“It is important that the organizing committee gives a careful explanation to volunteers,” he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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