Veteran politician Seiko Hashimoto elected first female president of the Japanese Olympic Committee
TOKYO — Seiko Hashimoto has been elected president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, becoming the first woman to head the body. She is a former Olympian and was elected late Thursday to replace Yasuhiro Yamashita, who served three terms.
Hashimoto competed in cycling in three Summer Olympics (1988, 1992 and 1996), and in speedskating in four Winter Olympics (1984, 1988, 1992 and 1994). She won a bronze medal at the 1992 Albertville Games in speedskating.
Hashimoto has served as a government minister for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and is currently a member of the upper house of the Japanese parliament.
She also was appointed president of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee early in 2021. She replaced Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister who was forced to resign as president of the committee after making sexist comments about women.
Japanese media reported that she had met recently with outgoing International Olympic President Thomas Bach and had been encouraged to have Japan bid for another Olympics.
'I believe the JOC's mission is to bid again to host the Olympics and Paralympics,' she was quoted as saying by Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The Tokyo Olympics were held in 2021 after being delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even before the delay, the Tokyo Games were plagued by rising costs and eventually by a bid-rigging scandal that forced Japan to drop a potential bid by the northern city of Sapporo for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Hashimoto is sure to face close scrutiny. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, on its English-language website, reported she addressed the question of a political funding scandal linked to the ruling LDP party.
'I would not have run if there had been any suspicion over my actions,' the newspaper reported her saying.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bella Mir aims to be first active UFC fighter to take part in Olympics
LAS VEGAS - With UFC CEO Dana White's support, Bella Mir has lofty aspirations. Mir submitted Carol Joia in the first round in Wednesday's UFC BJJ 1 event. The daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir is actively competing in grappling, wrestling and MMA. Advertisement Mir is happy to dabble in all forms of martial arts while chasing her Olympic dream – but she wants to be the first to do it as an active UFC fighter should she eventually make her way to the octagon. "Honestly, if it was up to me, I probably would be doing all of it at the same time like what I am right now," Mir said during the UFC BJJ 1 post-match press conference. "But I feel like I'll have a couple of prelim fights for the UFC, and then once 2028 comes around, I'll be like, 'Is it OK if I just don't fight just this year?' I could see that happening. "Or, I could see it just wrestling, doing jiu-jitsu and just fighting on UFC Fight Pass, and signing with the UFC right after 2028. It's also Dana's call. I've had meetings with him a lot about what my future looks like and what he wants me to do, and he pushes college wrestling a lot. He also pushes 2028. He wants me to go down that route, too. It's just a lot of talking with people close to me about what's best." Mir (3-0) will return to the cage for the first time in more than three years when she takes on Alivia Bierley (2-1) in a bantamweight bout July 27 at Fury Challenger Series 14, which takes place at Imagen Venues in Houston, and streams on UFC Fight Pass. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Bella Mir aims to be first active UFC fighter to compete in Olympics
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
New WHO report fails to rule out COVID-19 lab leak origin as China continues to impede investigation
A World Health Organization (WHO) scientific advisory group on Friday released a report on the origins of COVID-19, concluding that available evidence suggests the deadly pandemic was caused by "zoonotic spillover," either directly from bats or through an intermediate host. The report from the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), which claims to be a panel of 27 independent, international, multidisciplinary experts, said that much of the information needed to fully evaluate all hypotheses has not been provided. However, still citing a believed cause, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that "all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak." As the Wall Street Journal previously reported, the WHO's COVID-19 origin findings come amid a pattern of suspicious activity. The WHO traveled to China in early 2021 with British zoologist Dr. Peter Daszak, who was disbarred last year from doing work for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is accused of using American taxpayer dollars to fund gain-of-function research at the bat lab in Wuhan, China. Once at the Wuhan lab, Daszak and others were allegedly blocked from doing any of the research necessary to investigate. As noted by the White House when highlighting a report from the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, "The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2" publication — which was used repeatedly by public health officials and the media to discredit the lab leak theory — was prompted by Dr. [Anthony] Fauci to push the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated in nature. The WHO said it had requested that China share hundreds of genetic sequences from individuals with COVID-19 early in the pandemic, more detailed information about the animals sold at markets in Wuhan, and information on work done and biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan. To date, China has not shared this information either with SAGO or the WHO. "I thank each of the 27 members of SAGO for dedicating their time and expertise to this very important scientific undertaking over more than three years," Ghebreyesus wrote in a statement. "… We continue to appeal to China and any other country that has information about the origins of COVID-19 to share that information openly, in the interests of protecting the world from future pandemics." SAGO published its initial findings and recommendations in a report on June 9, 2022. The most recent report updates the evaluation based on peer-reviewed papers and reviews, as well as available unpublished information and field studies, interviews and other reports, including audit findings, government reports and intelligence reports. Those part of SAGO convened in various formats 52 times, conducted briefings with researchers, academics, journalists and others, according to the WHO. "As the report says, this is not solely a scientific endeavor, it is a moral and ethical imperative," Marietjie Venter, chair of the group, wrote in a statement. "Understanding the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and how it sparked a pandemic is needed to help prevent future pandemics, save lives and livelihoods, and reduce global suffering." "The work to understand the origins of SARS-CoV-2 remains unfinished," the WHO wrote in a statement. "WHO welcomes any further evidence on the origins of COVID-19, and SAGO remains committed to reviewing any new information should it become available."
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Hoffenheim signs Japan defender Koki Machida from Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise
SINSHEIM, Germany (AP) — German team Hoffenheim has signed Japan defender Koki Machida from Belgian champion Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The 27-year-old Machida, who has played 17 games for Japan, signed a 'long-term contract' at Hoffenheim, the Bundesliga club said on Friday without elaborating. Kicker magazine reported Hoffenheim agreed to pay around 4.5 million euros ($5.3 million) for the player, possibly rising to over 5 million ($5.9 million) with bonuses. 'In Koki Machida we've found a central defender who brings exactly the qualities we were looking for in this position,' Hoffenheim sporting director Andreas Schicker said. 'He has international experience as a Japanese national team player and was an absolute key part of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise's championship-winning last season. Koki is an uncompromising defender who never shies away from a challenge.' Machida initially joined the Belgian team on loan from Kashima Antlers in 2022, earning a permanent switch the following year. Altogether he played 114 games for Union. 'For me the step to Hoffenheim and in the Bundesliga is the next in my career,' Machida said in a Hoffenheim statement. Hoffenheim finished just above the Bundesliga relegation zone last season. ___ AP soccer:
