After, among others, Japanese Twitter users asked the president of the Olympic committee to resign, it seems like they will get what they want. After president Yoshiro Mori made sexist remarks during a meeting with the Japanese Board of Directors, according to various media the president will be forced to resign.
Mori himself hasn’t announced his resignation yet, but told the Japanese TV channel Nippon TV that he will come with a statement tomorrow: “I need to apologize again for this matter. I cannot let this problem continue.”
Even though his resignation hasn’t yet been confirmed, there are already some rumors about a possible replacement – Saburo Kawabuchi, mayor of the Olympic village and former head coach of the Japanese soccer federation.
Research shows that the enthusiasm for the Olympics among Japanese has been tamed due to the pandemic. Over 80 percent of the people would prefer the event to be cancelled. In Tokyo there is growing tension because of protest against the organization of this vast event. The pressure on the IOC to make a decision is increasing. The Olympics are set to take place in five months time.
Mori apologized for his comments that “women speak too much and too long” during a meeting to discuss whether more women should be invited to the Board of Directors. “If you increase the number of women, you have to limit the time for their remarks, otherwise you’ll run into trouble because it will never end,” Mori said. “They have a strong sense of rivalry; if one raises her hand to speak, all the others feel the need to speak, too. Everyone ends up saying something”.
