During a meeting with the Board of Directors of Tokyo 2020, president Yoshiro Mori made it clear not to be fond of the idea of inviting more women on the board. “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,” he said. He continued, saying that women 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”.
Mori (83) upset many people with his comments. Many Japanese called on him to resign on Twitter, starting the hashtag “Mori, please resign,” which is trending in Japan. Even though there was some speculation that Mori would step down, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen. Mori apologized for his comments, saying it the public weren’t the only ones who weren’t amused – his wife, daughter and granddaughter were also angry with him.
The sexist comments that Mori made are in fierce conflict with the International Olympic Committee’s gender equality policy. JOC-director Kaori Yamaguchi said it is “awkward that their president said such things.”
It must be said that Mori wasn’t all negative about women in the JOC-board. The President also expressed gratitude to the seven women that are part of the 35-member board. Mori said their “sharp remarks” are extremely helpful.
80 percent of population in favor of canceling Olympics
A recent opinion poll shows that 80 percent of the people in Japan are not keen on hosting the Olympics in Tokyo this year. The uproar last week over Mori’s statements won’t make things any better.
