TOKYO – The Tokyo Olympics chief resigned on Friday after a scandal over sexist statements he made about women who threatened to overshadow preparations for the games that hit the pandemic.
“Starting today, I will resign as president,” said Yoshiro Mori, opening a meeting of the Olympic Committee’s executive board and board.
It was not clear who would succeed him.
Mori’s departure comes after protests both at home and abroad, after he said women talk too much and have a “strong sense of rivalry” during a board meeting earlier this month.
After a wave of criticism, Mori, 83, apologized and recanted, acknowledging that they were inadequate and against the Olympic spirit.
He apologized again on Friday when he announced that he was stepping down. “My inappropriate comments have caused big problems. I’m sorry,” he said.
Mori added that he felt that his comments were misinterpreted by the media and that he was not prejudiced against women.
“The IOC fully respects President Mori’s decision to resign and understands his reasons for doing so,” said its president, Thomas Bach, in a statement on Friday.
“The IOC will continue to work hand in hand with its successor to host the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 in safety and security.”
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
The saga gave a new blow to the games in trouble, already marked by fears surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Delayed because of Covid-19 last year, the organizers of the Tokyo Games are now trying to convince the world that they can guarantee a safe environment for thousands of athletes and fans.
Although Japan has not experienced virus outbreaks on the scale of other major economies, such as the United States and Britain, it recently extended its state of emergency in Tokyo and other regions for another month.
The 126 million country reported the worst number of deaths in a day for the pandemic Thursday, with 121 new deaths and also has not started mass vaccination.
Covid-19 aside, the organizing committee has also struggled with rising costs and declining enthusiasm among Japanese audiences, with almost 80% saying that the Olympics should be canceled or postponed – all in the context of a sudden change leading the country after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left last summer.
“The Tokyo Games in Japan should be about changing the country, turning outward, reforming and projecting a more contemporary image,” said Simon Chadwick, sports academic and director of the Emlyon Center for the Eurasian Sports Industry. Business School in France.
“However, it was a case of a triple blow for Japan: first the pandemic, then Abe stepping down due to illness and now Mori’s resignation. Things could hardly have been worse than the situation Tokyo now faces. “
Following Mori’s remarks, hundreds of Olympic volunteers withdrew and local organizers received thousands of complaints, according to local media.
Japan’s aspiring Olympic tennis player Naomi Osaka said her comments were “really ignorant” and Olympic champion swimmer Kosuke Hagino called them “very unhappy”.
Several sponsors also expressed concerns.
The controversy also highlighted sexism and gender equality that still persist among conservative and male-dominated Japanese elites.
The issue dominated parliamentary sessions for days, with the opposition urging the country’s government to take action against Mori, himself a former prime minister. A group of opposition parliamentarians wore white, in honor of the women’s suffrage movement, with roses on their lapels in protest of Mori’s comments.
Japan lags behind other developed nations in promoting gender equality. It is 121st among 153 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2020 gender gap index, which highlights gender disparities worldwide.
The gender gap in Japan is by far the largest among all advanced economies and widened last year, the index said, with only 15% of senior and leadership positions held by women.
Although the younger generation is socially more progressive and more sensitive to gender equality issues, social practices change more slowly and Japan lags behind – especially in the absence of female representation in leadership positions, said Koichi Nakano, a science professor. policies of Tokyo Sophia University. .
“This is exactly why Mori’s comments were so vehemently rejected by the public,” he added.
“The Japanese are often reluctant to take positions on issues considered to be political, but the negative reaction was practically unanimous on this issue,” said Nakano.
But while Mori’s comments and resignation are yet another crisis facing Tokyo Games organizers, she is likely to be lost in the legacy of the Olympics in the face of a pandemic, said Heather Dichter, associate professor of sports management and sports history at De Montfort University in the United Kingdom.
“The biggest thing people always talk about is how they handled the pandemic,” said Dichter.
“That’s what people are going to remember these games for.”
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo, and Yuliya Talmazan reported from London.
Reuters contributed to this report.
The Associated Press contributed.