While uncertainty still surrounds next summer's Tokyo Olympics, athletes village mayor Saburo Kawabuchi is aiming for a safe and successful games following the one-year postponement stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The 84-year-old former Japan Football Association president, who played soccer for Japan at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, recently spoke about his role overseeing the village, which will host some 18,000 athletes over the course of the July 23 to Aug. 8 games.
"It's almost a miracle to be the head of the Olympic village 57 years after I played soccer at the 1964 Tokyo Games," said Kawabuchi, who led the professionalization of Japanese soccer as one of the founders and the inaugural president of the J-League.