Sasaki was in charge of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics. It transpired he told planning staff members last year that well-known entertainer Naomi Watanabe could perform in the ceremony as an “Olympig”.
Watanabe is a large woman and very famous in Japan,and “Olympig” was a play on the word “Olympic.”
It is the latest in a string of scandals for the event.
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In February,the president of the organising committeeYoshiro Mori was forced to resign after making sexist comments,saying women talk too much in meetings.
Two years ago,the head of the Japanese Olympic Committee Tsunekazu Takeda was also forced to step down in a bribery scandal connected to vote-buying involving International Olympic Committee members.
Sasaki released a statement early on Thursday saying he was stepping down. He said he had also calledSeiko Hashimoto,the president of the organising committee,and tendered his resignation.