Tokyo Olympics organizing committee chair resigns after sexist comments

Yoshiro Mori, chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Games Organizing Committee, has just resigned after making humiliating comments about his female colleagues. This reveals a lingering sexism within Japanese sport.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Organizing Committee Chairman Yoshiro Mori announced his resignation on Friday February 12 after an outcry caused by his sexist remarks. The 83-year-old said, among other things, that his female colleagues spoke too long at meetings.

According to sports administrators and human rights activists, this highlights sexism and persistent accusations of institutionalized harassment that tarnish Japanese sport and the Summer Olympics. "When I see Mori's comments described as a blunder, it pisses me off because it is not a blunder. It is a verbal expression of national policy ", said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. "This is an active policy of excluding women from positions for which they are qualified and who, frankly, would do a better job than men.", she added.

Experts say the male-dominated and intensely hierarchical elite resisted calls for sport reform, opposed greater representation of women, and perpetuated a system where coaches were accused of beating younger athletes.

Yoshiro Mori expressed his "more sincere apologies " for the "chaos" caused by his proposals while trying to justify the lack of women in the Japanese Olympic Committee and the organization’s failure to reach an official target of more than 40 percent women on the board.

The World Economic Forum ranks Japan in 121st out of 153 countries in terms of gender parity, with the largest gender gap among advanced economies. Women are only 5.2% to be executives in all Japanese listed companies in 2019, according to government data.

Last year, Human Rights Watch published a report on the physical, sexual and verbal violence that young athletes regularly suffer from, which frequently leads them to depression, suicides, physical disabilities and lifelong trauma. For Minky Worden, more women in positions of authority could help protect young athletes, especially girls.

For her part, Yuko Inazawa, a director of the Japan Rugby Football Union, explains that it is essential to tackle what in Japan is called the "harassment of power" so that women can occupy high positions. "Increasing the number of women on boards can reduce sexual harassment. It will provide a strong shield for female athletes.", she assured.

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Sarah chekroun

After a master's degree in writing in my pocket, I am now a freelance writer. If my favorite fields are fashion and beauty, I also write articles …