According to a report from Kyodo News on February 10, in view of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee Chairman Yoshiro Mori’s remarks against women, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on the 10th will be the chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) scheduled for this month.
The four-party talks attended by Bach and others expressed that they would consider not attending, saying that “even if it is held here, it is difficult to send a positive message.”
With the expansion of the Coronavirus pandemic, worries about hosting the Olympics have reappeared. Under this circumstance, the criticism of Yoshiro Mori’s speech has been increasing.
It is expected that the Olympic Organizing Committee will hold an ad hoc meeting on the speech this week, and Koike’s intention as the top leader of the host city may also affect the discussion.
The attendees of the four-party talks included Bach, Yoshiro Mori, Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto and Koike. There was a plan to convene on the 17th of this month, but due to the expansion of the waves caused by Yoshiro Mori’s speech, the meeting was to be re-coordinated. On January 28, Bach and Yoshiro Mori reached a consensus on holding February in a telephone meeting.
In an interview at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Koike stated that Yoshiro Mori’s remarks led to repeated calls to protest and the withdrawal of volunteers.
Koike said that “it has caused discomfort to everyone when we first want to contain the pandemic and build momentum (for the Olympics). As the head of the host city, I also deeply regret it.”
