TOKYO: The Tokyo 2020 executive board Thursday appointed seven-time Olympian Hashimoto Seiko as the new president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee.
Hashimoto replaces Mori Yoshiro as president after he resigned last Friday over recent remarks he made regarding women, which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed “absolutely inappropriate”.
To take the position, Hashimoto has stepped down from her government roles as Japan’s Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Minister in charge of Women’s Empowerment, and Minister of State for Gender Equality in the Government of Japan.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: “My heartfelt congratulations go to my fellow Olympian Hashimoto Seiko on her appointment as president of the Organising Committee Tokyo 2020. With her great Olympic experience, having won a medal, participated in seven editions of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Winter Games, and having led Japan’s delegation to the Olympic Games multiple times, she is the perfect choice for this position. She will ensure that the focus in the final months of preparation remains on the athletes’ experience while planning all the necessary COVID-19 countermeasures.
“Seiko Hashimoto can draw on her rich political experience as a Minister and many other political functions. This will help to deliver safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in partnership between the Organising Committee, the Government of Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the IOC.
“With the appointment of a woman as President, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee is also sending a very important signal with regard to gender equality, which is one of the topics we addressed in Olympic Agenda 2020, the reform programme for the IOC and the Olympic Movement. We stand ready to support the OCOG and other organisations in their desired aims within their spheres of responsibility.”
John Coates, the chair of the IOC Coordination Commission Tokyo 2020, said: “We have been working closely together ever since Hashimoto Seiko was appointed as Olympic and Paralympic Games Minister. I am looking forward to extending our collaboration even further. The Organising Committee will benefit from her Olympic as well as her political experience.”
The IOC remains as committed as ever to the safe and successful delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. We are strengthened in this by the unwavering commitment of the Japanese Government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Organising Committee.
Addressing the Tokyo 2020 executive board following her appointment, Hashimoto stated:
“I am very honoured to be elected as President of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is a big responsibility to be the President of the Tokyo Organising Committee. It is sobering. Earlier today, I submitted a request to Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide to resign as Minister of State at the Prime Minister’s office. I would like to thank the members of the Tokyo Organising Committee for their support during this time.
“It was a big decision for me to resign as Minister, but I stand here with the desire to make the Tokyo 2020 Games a success.
“I think the Tokyo 2020 Games, which are five months away, must be a safe and secure event with COVID-19 countermeasures being the most important factor. As the Minister of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, I have been doing my best to support various organisations including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Tokyo Organising Committee, the IOC and the IPC. As part of the Tokyo Organising Committee, I will further accelerate efforts to build a collaborative framework with the national government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to convince everyone, both in Japan and around the world, that Tokyo 2020 is “the safe and secure Games.”
“In addition, my appointment as President is important for gender equality. At the recent joint round-table conference between the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the Organising Committee, it was decided to increase the proportion of women within the Board of Directors and to create a team to promote gender equality. I think we have to work on this quickly. It is important to come up with working groups and produce results within a month, and I appreciate all your efforts with this matter.
“Diversity and Inclusion is the vision of the Tokyo 2020 Games, but I would like all members of the Organising Committee to confirm this first. I would like to create a legacy that recognises everyone, regardless of gender, disability, race, sexual orientation, etc., and build a society where they can coexist.
“The Tokyo 2020 Games have been postponed for the first time in Olympic history. Postponement is something no-one has ever experienced. We will create a working team within the Organising Committee to propose a template for how to run an Olympic and Paralympic Games in this challenging environment, including diversity, to the IOC, IPC and the government, and how to utilise this experience for the future.
“I believe the meaning and mission of the Tokyo 2020 Games will not exist unless the Organising Committee has the power to have the vision for this. To that end, I would like to make every effort to achieve the success of the Tokyo Organising Committee, as the President of the Organising Committee, utilising the most of my experience.”
