The president of the Japanese Olympic Committee said he will step down amid allegations of corruption into the successful bid for Tokyo to host the 2020
The president of the Japanese Olympic Committee said he will step down amid allegations of corruption into the successful bid for Tokyo to host the 2020 Olympics.
Tsunekazu Takeda, 71, is a former Olympic equestrian jumper who competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. He is also the chair of the International Olympic Committee’s Marketing Commission.
He maintains his innocence, and intends to serve out the rest of his 10th term as president, resigning in June. He’ll also step down from the IOC.
“I don’t believe I’ve done anything illegal,” Takeda said at a news conference Tuesday, according to Reuters. Asked why he didn’t step aside now, he said, “It pains me to have created such a fuss, but I believe it is my responsibility to serve out the rest of my term.”
Takeda was president of the Tokyo bid committee that clinched the 2020 Games in an IOC vote in 2013, beating out Istanbul and Madrid — a bid that is now under investigation.
