Yoshiro Mori, Tokyo 2020 Chief bowed to mounting pressure by resigning Friday over sexist remarks, however, his replacement was not immediately clear after opposition emerged to his favoured successor.
The resignation and the leadership vacuum left by the controversy add to the woes of organisers struggling to win over a sceptical public less than six months before the virus-delayed Games.
Mori, 83, sparked outrage by claiming last week that women speak too much in meetings, with officials, sports stars and Olympic sponsors slamming the remarks as inappropriate.
On Friday he announced he would step down, effective immediately.
“My inappropriate statement has caused a lot of chaos. I would like to express my sincere apologies,” he told a meeting of Tokyo 2020’s executive board and the council called to discuss his remarks.
“What is important is to hold the Olympics in July. It must not be the case that my presence becomes an obstacle to that.”
There was confusion about who would succeed Mori, who had initially selected well-known sports administrator Saburo Kawabuchi, 84, to replace him.
The transition had appeared a done deal, with the former footballer granting interviews to local media describing his planned priorities in the new job.
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But opposition to the selection of another octogenarian, and Mori’s control over the process, quickly mounted.
Hashtags opposing Kawabuchi’s appointment trended on Twitter in Japan, and the country’s Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto insisted “nothing has been decided”.
By Friday afternoon, local media reported Tokyo 2020 was under pressure to reverse the appointment and that Kawabuchi had decided to turn down the job.
