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Japan Olympic official resigns after 'utterly unacceptable' remarks / Photo: © AFP/File
Japan Olympic official resigns after 'utterly unacceptable' remarks
The Japanese Olympic Committee's vice president has resigned, the organisation said Tuesday, after he apologised for making "utterly unacceptable" remarks that reportedly included an anti-Korean slur.
Takahiro Kitano, head of Japan's bobsleigh federation, made the comments during an investigation into the two-man bobsleigh team's failure to qualify for this year's Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
Kitano said in a statement that there were "instances where I failed to maintain my composure" during the internal probe.
The Japanese-language online edition of HuffPost reported that Kitano had used an anti-Korean slur.
"The use of such language is utterly unacceptable for someone entrusted with the management of a public sports organisation and I deeply regret my own lack of judgement," he wrote.
Later on Tuesday, the Japanese Olympic Committee said in a statement they had "received and accepted (Kitano's) letter of resignation submitted for personal reasons".
Kitano remains as head of the bobsleigh federation.
Bitter memories of Japan's brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 have long cast a shadow over Tokyo-Seoul ties.
Japan missed out on a place in the two-man bobsleigh competition at February's Milan-Cortina Olympics after the federation had misunderstood the qualification requirements.
S. Soerensen--BTZ
