Seven-time Olympian Seiko Hashimoto has been named as the new president of the Tokyo Olympic organising committee, after its former chief resigned over a sexism row.
Yoshiro Mori stepped down from his role last week after he was criticised for claiming women talked too much in meetings.
Hashimoto competed in three Summer Olympics (‘88, ‘92 and ‘96) in cycling and in four Winter Olympics (‘84, ‘88, ‘92 and ‘94) in speedskating. She won a bronze medal — her only medal — in 1992 in the 1,500meters speedskating.
The 56-year-old had previously been serving as the Olympic minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
The new president is tied to the Olympics in many ways. She was born in Hokkaido in northern Japan just five days before the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Her name “Seiko” comes from “seika,”which translates as Olympic flame in English.
According to widely circulated reports in Japan, Hashimoto was reluctant to take the job and was one of three final candidates considered by a selection committee headed by 85-year-old Fujio Mitarai of the camera company Canon.
The selection committee met for three consecutive days, a rushed appointment with the postponed Olympics opening in just over five months in the middle of a pandemic and facing myriad problems.
Polls show about 80% of Japanese want the Olympics canceled or postponed again. There is fear about bringing tens of thousands of athletes and others into Japan, which has controlled the coronavirus better than most countries.
Additional reporting by AP.
