Tokyo Games Head Offers to Resign

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Tokyo Games head offers to resign

The embattled head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has offered his resignation.

Mori Yoshiro made the announcement at a hastily arranged joint session of the committee's executives and the board of councilors. It comes more than a week after the 83-year-old made demeaning remarks about women, sparking a global outcry.

Mori said, "My inappropriate remarks caused a lot of confusion. I feel extremely sorry for causing so much trouble for the executives, the board of councilors and many others. So today, I'm offering my resignation as president of the Tokyo organizing committee."

The controversy began when Mori said that meetings with women take too long because they talk too much.

He apologized but continued to face criticism both in Japan and abroad. Hundreds of Olympic volunteers have quit in protest.

Kawabuchi Saburo says Mori asked him to take over as president of the committee. But sources say the 84-year-old former chairman of Japan's professional soccer league won't seek the position.

Some members of the executive board and the International Olympic Committee say the process for choosing Mori's successor needs to be transparent. That issue is likely on the agenda at Friday's meeting.

The upheaval comes as preparations for the Tokyo Games ramp up. They are scheduled to start on July 23rd, after being delayed by a year due to the pandemic.

Committee officials will hold a news conference later on Friday.

Session Notes:

Embattled
Hastily
Demeaning
Outcry
Upheaval