Former Athens Olympics chief Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki believes the Tokyo organizing committee's new head Seiko Hashimoto can use the resilience she developed in her high-profile political and sports careers to carry the delayed 2020 Games to success.
Hailed for promoting the role of women in sport, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who was the first woman to head an Olympic organizing committee, says Hashimoto's appointment demonstrates progress towards gender equality in Japan and in sport, a particularly important step given Hashimoto's predecessor was forced out by a sexism scandal.
"I'm very glad that Ms. Hashimoto has taken over. I am sure that there are many women in (Japan) and in other countries that are very happy to see a woman leading," Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.