Unusual confusion just before the opening of the Paris Olympics… “Female medalist” named as a candidate to replace JOC President Yamashita, who has refused to meet due to injury.

On July 5, the Paris Olympics Delegation held a team formation ceremony in Tokyo. With the opening of the Olympics coming up on June 26, and amidst increasing media coverage of the announcement of Japan’s representative athletes and expectations of medals, there was an unusual mix-up at a meeting of the governing body of the athletes aiming for the Olympics.

The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) Board of Councilors meeting was held on June 27. The meeting would normally end with a “shang-shang” as the scenario unfolded, but the meeting was filled with a sense of urgency as those in attendance expressed their opinions in pursuit of the executive committee.

The question was, “Where is the responsibility for failing to obtain information and missing the bidding process, and how will it be dealt with?

The agenda item was to point out that there had been no verification of the fact that the Sapporo Olympics bid had been forced to withdraw, and to pursue responsibility for this.

In his reply, Executive Director Mitsugu Oken, 65, barely managed to gloss over the problem.

A committee will be set up in September to explore the possibility of bidding for an international convention in the future.

The withdrawal from the bidding process was partly due to the lack of support from the citizens of Sapporo, but more than that, it was due to the fact that Yamashita, as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was not aware of IOC President Thomas Bach’s (70) intention to “decide on the host cities for the ’30 and ’34 Games at the same time. （The decisive factor in the blunder was that Yamashita was not aware of IOC President Thomas Bach’s (70) intention to “decide on the host city for ’30 and ’34 at the same time.

The JOC had originally planned to bid for Sapporo in 1930. However, in order to avoid a public outcry due to the corruption in Tokyo, the JOC was shifting its bid to the ’34 Olympics, four years later, when the situation would have calmed down.

In the midst of this situation, the possibility emerged that the IOC would decide on the host city for the ’30 and ’34 Olympics at the same time. The JOC would normally have had to take action at once to bid for Sapporo. However, Chairman Yamashita remained optimistic.

In fact, on October 11, 2011, at a press conference together with Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto, Yamashita said, “There is some information, but it is highly unlikely,” regarding the possibility that the host cities for the Winter Games in 1930 and 1934 would be decided at the same time. However, only three days later, he predicted that it would be decided at the same time. However, his prediction came to naught just three days later. The IOC announced its policy to hold the two games simultaneously at the IOC General Assembly held in Mumbai, India, on October 14 of the same year, and the ’30 games were eventually decided in France and the ’34 games in Salt Lake City, U.S.A. The IOC and Salt Lake City were not aware of the movements of rival cities such as the IOC and Salt Lake City. The possibility of a Sapporo bid disappeared, as the IOC and rival cities such as Salt Lake City were completely unaware of the situation.

The JOC has long been said to lack the ability to gather information, and the IOC, which is a subterfuge that skillfully uses both front and back talk in its bid to host the Sapporo Olympics, was at the mercy of the JOC, and the JOC was responsible for the painful experience. Given these circumstances, the Council Committee even discussed personnel matters, wondering whether it would be good for the IOC to remain without a president.

The acting president, Vice President Yuko Miya (65), met with him two or three times a month and replied, “I have received various instructions and am fulfilling my responsibilities adequately,” but President Yamashita’s condition is said to be so serious that he has virtually refused to meet with her. It is too much to ask him to bring his mountain of problems to his hospital room, and it is doubtful whether he is really communicating with them.

In March of this year, following a decision by his doctor, Executive Director Oken announced that President Yamashita would not be going to the Paris Olympics, denying that he would be changing presidents , saying, “It is not desirable to change the system when the Olympics are just around the corner. He states that he will serve as head of the athletes’ team.

Toshiki Tsuda, a sportswriter who has been covering the JOC for more than 30 years, points out that “the Board of Trustees is the supreme voting body that checks whether financial operations are being properly managed and can also pass resolutions to elect and dismiss directors and auditors.

The JOC is now in the most critical situation since it became independent from the Japan Sports Association (now the Japan Sports Association) in 1989. The councilors who spoke out are probably aware of the same situation. The council members who spoke out must have been aware of the same thing. The principle of “make do with what you can get,” or the “procrastination” approach of “the president will be in office until June next year,” is no longer acceptable.

Three years ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the question of whether or not the Tokyo Olympics could be held was raised right up until the very last minute, and the word “legacy” was often used to describe the significance of holding the event. Japan won 27 gold medals, but only a few medalists’ names come to mind. That’s how unimpressive it is. Although the event was held with no spectators in order to reduce the risk of infection, the legacy may not have remained as a result. I think it is undeniable that this, in no small part, changed the public’s attitude toward the Olympics.”

Although there are high expectations for the success of the athletes at the Paris Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to August 11, public interest in the Olympics themselves and the JOC has waned due to the revelation of corruption issues after the Tokyo Olympics held three years ago and the JOC’s failure to play its central role, which should have been accountable to the public. Public interest in the Olympics itself and the JOC has waned. In order to regain a sense of presence, it is imperative to renew the JOC’s personnel without regard to the term of office.

One idea would be to sideline former Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki and current Commissioner Koji Murofushi as candidates for the presidency. In terms of promoting women, there is Mikako Kotani, the executive director. Personally, I think Yuko Arimori, who is a director of the World Association of Athletics Federations and a strong communicator, is the right person for the job, but she may not be able to do it because she is busy with the World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo next year,” said Mr. Tsuda.

(Mr. Tsuda) “There is no room for complacency when you are in the middle of your term. In order to get out of this pinch, a replacement for President Yamashita must be chosen as soon as possible, and a new leader must be appointed to rebuild the organization.