Because of the Olympic Gold Medal-Biting Japanese Mayor... IOC Finally Replaces the Gold Medal

Nagoya Mayor Bites Athlete's Gold Medal Recklessly
IOC and Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee "Will Replace with a New One"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] After the mayor of Nagoya, Japan, who received a medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, caused controversy by unexpectedly biting the athlete's gold medal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and related organizations held consultations and decided to exchange the gold medal for a new one.

Earlier, on the 4th, Miu Goto (後藤希友), a softball player who participated in the Tokyo Olympics, visited her hometown Nagoya (名古屋), Japan, and met with Takashi Kawamura (河村隆之), the mayor of Nagoya. When Goto hung the gold medal around his neck, Kawamura lowered his mask and suddenly bit the gold medal.

Among Japanese netizens, reactions such as "Is the mayor allowed to do whatever he wants with the athlete's medal?" and "He is taking the fruit of effort lightly" followed. There were also criticisms from the perspective of COVID-19 prevention measures.

According to NHK on the 12th, after consultations between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, it was ultimately decided to replace Goto's medal with a new one. Goto also agreed to the replacement of her medal. Replacing an Olympic medal is a very rare occurrence.

Meanwhile, Mayor Kawamura publicly apologized, saying, "I deeply regret my very inappropriate behavior," as the controversy spread, but criticism over his reckless conduct continues. Hideaki Omura, governor of Aichi Prefecture, to which Nagoya belongs, also supported the decision, saying, "The medal should be replaced with a new one."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.