The organising committee of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 named Mikako Kotani as its new sports editor. She took over the position on Thursday.
Kotani won the two bronze medals in synchronised swimming at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. She replaced Koji Murofushi. The sport is now called artistic swimming. She replaced Koji Murofushi. Murofushi is becoming Japan’s Sports Agency commissioner which is a position in the Japanese government.
83-year-old Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister, is heading the organising committee.
Kotani is a member of the executive board of the Japanese Olympic Committee. She is one of the few women in a sports leadership position in Japan.
The cabinet of new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has only two women among its 20 members.