Olympic flag (Photo: Nikkan Sports)
He also hinted that the city of Sapporo, which aims to host the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, could pull out. Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto (66) and Executive Director Keiko Momii of the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) held a meeting in Tokyo on the 20th regarding the future of the bid.
In response to the Tokyo Olympics-related corruption scandal, Mayor Akimoto said he wanted to poll people about public opinion on the holding of the Olympics, saying, “The previous survey was only for citizens and residents of Hokkaido, but the whole country also has to do it.” He said, “We have not renounced the offer,” but depending on the outcome, he repeatedly said, “We will respect the will of the people,” suggesting withdrawal from the offer.
Corruption scandals surrounding the Tokyo Olympics have come to light one after another since August, led by a former director of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee who worked for Dentsu Inc., the largest advertising company. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to indefinitely postpone the decision to host the 2030 Winter Olympics from September to October next year.
In response to this, on this day, the Sapporo City and the JOC agreed to (1) reconsider how they had relied on a specific agency to manage the competition, (2) suspend active momentum activities such as organizing events for the time being, and (3) re-evaluate Popular opinion review is proposed as a review plan for the tender process.
Mayor Akimoto stressed, “I understand that the situation has changed significantly. If we do not present a revised reform plan, we will not be able to gain public understanding.” We plan to create a concrete reform proposal for the offering by the end of fiscal 2022 and announce it as soon as possible. After submitting the proposal, the company plans to conduct a public opinion poll, although the timing and modalities have not yet been defined.
(Tadahiro Yoshimatsu)
