Tokyo Olympics chief says women talk too much in meetings, causes social media firestorm

Mori later gave a news conference in which he told reporters his remarks were inappropriate, in conflict with the Olympic spirit, and that he wanted to withdraw them. He apologised, but said that he didn’t intend to resign. — AFP

The head of the Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee resisted calls for his resignation after igniting an uproar by saying women talk too much in meetings.

Gaffe-prone former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, 83, made the remark on Feb 3 in response to plans to double the proportion of women on the board of the Japanese Olympic Committee to 40% from 20%. They came as the organisers published a playbook about how they plan to stage the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games this summer amid the pandemic.