Tokyo Olympics Chief Reportedly Stepping Down Following Sexist Remarks (original) (raw)
Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori will resign from his position following sexist remarks he made last week, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday.
Mori initially claimed he would not resign during his public apology last week.
The 83-year-old’s comments, which made headlines on Feb. 4, included him saying that women talk too much, and that “board meetings with lots of women take longer.”
“When you increase the number of female executive members, if their speaking time isn’t restricted to a certain extent, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying,” he was quoted as saying.
“Women are competitive. When one person raises a hand, others think they need to speak up as well. That’s why everyone speaks.”
Following these comments, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to gender equality on Feb. 9, condemning Mori’s comments and calling them “inappropriate.”
IOC member and five-time Canadian Olympic medalist Hayley Wickenheiser called the news “progress” on Twitter.
Progress. #tokyo2020 https://t.co/iPt8Kse2Tk
— Hayley Wickenheiser (@wick_22) February 11, 2021
Wickenheiser, who owns four gold and one Olympic silver medal in women’s ice hockey, had first responded to Mori’s remarks last week, tweeting “Definitely going to corner this guy at the breakfast buffet. See ya in Tokyo!!”
Mori is expected to officially resign on Friday during a meeting of Tokyo 2020 Council and Executive Board members.
About James Sutherland
James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …