Living Legend Of Japanese Sports Seiko Hashimoto Ready To Lead The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Committee

Illustration of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (Wikimedia Commons / Real Estate Japan)

JAKARTA - The vacant position of President of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Committee will soon be filled. It was Japan's Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto who was said to be ready to fill the position left by Yoshiro Mori, as reported by Reuters from Kyodo.

This will be a major blow after Yoshiro Mori resigned last week over sexist comments that said women talk too much. Comments that drew criticism from various parties. Meanwhile, Seiko herself is a woman.

At the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics board meeting on Thursday, Vice President Toshiaki Endo said Mori's statement was imprecise and a new president should be elected as soon as possible.

“With only five months remaining, his retirement is causing indescribable damage to the preparation process for the Olympics. I hope we can reach a consensus on a good candidate to be the next president at this meeting", said Endo.

The criteria for new leaders include a deep understanding of gender equality and diversity, and the ability to achieve those values during the Olympics, the organizers said.

Living legend

Born on October 5 a few days before Japan hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, Hashimoto took part in four Winter Olympics as a speed skater and three Summer Olympics as a track racing cyclist.

On the site olympic.org, as an athlete, Hashimoto won a bronze medal from the women's 1.500 meter Speed Skating event in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

Seiko Hashimoto. (Wikimedia Commons / T.Nobue)

This Liberal Democratic Party politician has served as Minister of the Olympics, concurrently as Minister of Women's Empowerment since 2019. Hashimoto told reporters late Wednesday that he had nothing to say.

Hashimoto may be replaced as Olympic minister by Tamayo Marukawa, 50, a former television broadcaster who was elected to the upper house of parliament in 2007 and previously served as Olympic minister for about a year, the daily Mainichi said.