Tokyo: Japanese athlete-turned-politician Seiko Hashimoto has been chosen as president of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing committee.
She has replaced Yoshiro Mori, the former president of Tokyo 2020 who resigned last week.
Hashimoto, who competed in seven Summer and Winter Olympics as a cyclist and a skater, now faces a raft of tough issues at the helm of one of the world’s biggest sporting events, with less than half a year before its delayed start.
Hashimoto has said she understands there is “great public concern” over hosting the delayed Games during the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking after her appointment just under five months before the Tokyo Games are due to open, the former Olympic track cyclist and speed skater said addressing the coronavirus threat was the most important task she faced, and she vowed to hold a “safe and secure” Games.
