The head of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee is poised to step down after making sexist remarks, according to reports.
The Kyodo news agency in Japan claims the organising committee president Yoshiro Mori will quit his post after saying that meetings tended to drag on when women were involved.
The Tokyo 2020 executive board will meet on Friday in the wake of the comments, with a press conference scheduled for 7.30am UK time.
Kyodo reports that Saburo Kawabuchi, a former chair of the Japanese Football Association and one of the key figures in the foundation of its professional football competition the J.League, is set to replace Mori.
IOC Statement on gender equality in the Olympic Movement https://t.co/4gHCVoxbUZ
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) February 9, 2021
Earlier this week the International Olympic Committee released a statement saying Mori’s comments were “inappropriate” but stopped short of calling for him to quit.
It is the latest setback for the Games organisers, who have been beset by problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Games were due to take place last summer but were delayed by 12 months.
Covid-19 cases remain high in many areas of the world with the vaccine rollout only in its early stages, yet there is no suggestion of a second postponement or cancellation despite the staging of the Games remaining unpopular among Tokyo residents.
Mori himself has apologised for the remarks, but it now appears he is going to leave his post with just seven months to go until the Olympics are due to begin.
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