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Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee Calls WADA Report of Sponsorhip Payments to IAAF "Different From Our Understanding"

http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201601/2016011500412&g=spo
http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201601/2016011500418&g=spo

translated by Brett Larner

In response to a statement in a report published by WADA on Jan. 14 saying that Tokyo had paid sponsorship money to the IAAF and others during its bid for the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee spokesperson Hikariko Ono expressed the committee's view that, "What is written [in the report] represents is different from our understanding."  Ono stressed the legitimacy of Tokyo's bid activities, saying, "The plans Tokyo presented were evaluated as the best and that is why the IOC Assembly selected them."

Former JAAF director Katsuyuki Tanaka, who served on the IAAF Council from 2007 until last summer, commented, "There's no doubt that former president [Lamine] Diack was sympathetic to Tokyo from the start, but I don't think what they have written is true."  With a large number of its companies sponsoring the IAAF Diack was said to have been favorable to Japan, but as Tanaka pointed out, "He was always lobbying people around him that he wanted it to be in Tokyo.  I think that was only because he thought Tokyo was the best, not because he was getting something."

JAAF managing director Mitsugi Ogata also commented on the report of sponsorship payments to the IAAF, saying, "I knew nothing at all about such information."  With regard to the confirmation of the reality of the IAAF's actions to hide Russian doping violations and the proliferation of other problems Ogata expressed a sense of crisis, saying, "We have to make a fresh start.  We must take steps against fraud and to improve integrity.

Comments

TokyoRacer said…
These guys, especially Tanaka, are naive? stupid? dissembling?
From all the reports I've read, Diack was one of the biggest crooks on the planet - with him, money came first, second and third. If you don't know that, you don't know anything.
Brett Larner said…
Tanaka was on the IAAF Council during Diack's term. Given what the WADA report says it's hard to take a charitable view of Tanaka's statement.

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