A month ago, Tsunekazu Takeda was warmly applauded by 1,400 Olympic dignitaries as he spoke alongside International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in Tokyo.…
A month ago, Tsunekazu Takeda was warmly applauded by 1,400 Olympic dignitaries as he spoke alongside International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in Tokyo.
A month later, the powerful IOC member and head of the Japanese Olympic Committee is fighting a corruption investigation, suspected by French investigators of authorizing the payment of bribes to help land the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when IOC members voted in 2013.
In a Japanese Olympic Committee statement on Friday, Takeda denied any wrongdoing.
A distant relative of Japan’s royal family — the great grandson of the Meiji Emperor — Takeda could join a growing list of suspended IOC members, and honorary members, who are linked to corruption probes. His case could potentially tarnish the Tokyo Olympics, which open in 18 months.
Bach has called Tokyo’s preparations “the best ever,” though there are concerns about rising costs, with the price tag to prepare for the games at about $20 billion. That’s three times what Tokyo bidders said it would cost when they were awarded the Olympics.
“The Tokyo Olympics Face a Black Cloud,” was Saturday’s headline in the popular daily tabloid Nikkan Sports.
Takeda has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday in Tokyo to address an investigation that has been going on for several years.
“The case is causing tremendous concern among the people who are supporting the Tokyo Games,” Takeda said. “But I will continue to cooperate in the investigation in order to clear any suspicion of me.
