Tokyo Olympics' Yoshiro Mori Says He Won't Resign After Making Sexist Comments

Yoshiro Mori clarified Thursday that he will not be stepping down as president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee despite calls to do so following sexist comments he made about women.

"I am not thinking to resign," Mori said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "I have been working hard and helped devotedly for seven years. I will not be stepping down."

The controversy came after he was asked about the limited number of women on the board of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

"Women are very competitive," he told Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. "When one of them raises her hand, they probably think they have to say something, too. And then everyone says something. If we are going to have more women directors, someone has remarked, then meetings go on for a long time unless we restrict the comments."

Mori apologized for the remarks on Thursday, saying it was an "inappropriate expression."

"I am deeply remorseful," he said. "I would like to withdraw the statement. I would like to apologize for any unpleasant feelings."

Only five of the 24 current Japanese Olympic Committee board members are women despite a stated goal in 2019 to have at least 40 percent female representation, per BBC News.

That committee is responsible for selecting the athletes who will represent Japan in the Olympics.

The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee, which helps plan the upcoming games, has 36 members, and Mori said seven were women.

Mori, 83, was previously the Prime Minister of Japan and was appointed to the head of the organizing committee in 2014.