Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday over sexist remarks he made about women earlier this month.
“On boards with a lot of women, the board meetings take so much time. Women have a strong sense of competition. If one person raises their hand, others probably think, I need to say something too. That's why everyone speaks,” said Mori.
“If we increase the number of female board members, we have to make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying,” Mori continued. “We have about seven women at the organizing committee but everyone understands their place.”
Mori has faced calls to resign since the remarks and finally did so today, the AP reports.
Said Mori: “As of today I will resign from the president's position. My inappropriate comments have caused a lot of chaos.”
IOC president Thomas Bach said the IOC “respects” Mori's decision, but praised him: “At the same time, we would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution to the organisation of the postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 over the course of the past years. Among his many accomplishments, President Mori helped to make Tokyo the best-ever prepared Olympic city. The IOC will continue working hand-in-hand with his successor to deliver safe and secure Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021.”
