TOKYO – A former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee board member and 3 folks from a clothes corporate that used to be a marvel sponsor of the 2020 Games had been arrested on bribery suspicions Wednesday.
Haruyuki Takahashi, a former government at promoting corporate Dentsu, is suspected of receiving bribes from the previous head of Aoki Holdings Inc. and two corporate staff, the prosecutors’ place of work stated.
The corporate that makes reasonably priced trade fits used to be a marvel pick out to decorate the Japanese Olympic workforce, when different countries had best type manufacturers designing athletes’ outfits. Aoki is connected with Japan’s so-called “recruit fits” that kids contemporary out of faculty put on for activity interviews and their first jobs.
The bribery is assumed to be connected to sponsorship of the Games and merchandise associated with the Olympics. Although corruption at best puts amongst Olympic officers had lengthy been rumored, the arrest comes as a blow to Japan’s Olympic ambitions.
Takahashi is credited with touchdown $3 billion in native sponsorships for the Tokyo Games. Japan is also pursuing the 2030 Winter Olympics for Sapporo.
Aoki stated it used to be nonetheless having a look into the subject and didn’t have quick remark. The Japanese Olympic Committee used to be now not right away to be had for remark.
Japanese media reviews stated Takahashi denied wrongdoing, stressing he used to be paid for consulting services and products.
Tokyo performed host to the Tokyo Games with a lot fanfare, in addition to complaint, in summer season 2021. The tournament used to be postponed for a yr and held without a public price ticket gross sales on account of the coronavirus pandemic.
That got here as a sadness, because the Games had been intended to have drummed up tourism income, and put the highlight on Japan’s prowess in a similar fashion as did the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
The legitimate price ticket for the newest Tokyo Games used to be $13 billion, most commonly public cash. That used to be double the preliminary estimate when the International Olympic Committee awarded Tokyo the Games, however not up to the $25 billion some had predicted.
Source Link: https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/japan-arrests-haruyuki-takahashi-three-others-on-bribery-suspicions-in-tokyo-olympics/